Waking Up Is Hard To Do: Dealing with Discouragement

Good Life Content
Jul 24, 2017 · 5 min read

The most destructive thing you can do is believe in someone else’s opinion of you; there is a great sense of freedom you gain when you begin not taking anything personally.

Breaking the status quo, going against the norm, standing out in the crowd — it is as tough an ideal to strive for as any. Yet we praise and adore those individuals who have done this. We lift up and celebrate those who have not abided by the norms of life and have instead chosen to pursue something they are passionate about. We reward these people, whom we do not know, for following their dreams and breaking the chain, yet we often fail to support those we do know who are attempting the same thing. Now, why is this? Could it be because deep inside we don’t want to change? We don’t want to work to grow and learn and go against the grain? It seems too daunting of a task, too much work or sacrifice required? Everyone has a right to live their dreams, to think outside the box, to make a difference, including you!

When you roll your passion out for the world to see, you will inevitably receive some push back. The truth is, the world isn’t used to seeing people act on their desires; the average person isn’t used to seeing passion in action, especially up close. You will find that there are certain people around you, perhaps even those close to you, who reply in discouragement and dissent when they hear word of you striding towards your chosen purpose, likely because they have not discovered their own purpose; they have not discovered their own passion.

There are two ways people will react when they themselves have not discovered their purpose or passion, yet encounter you pursuing yours: aggression or complacency. In the case of aggression, they will attack others in the form of attempted humiliation, maliciousness, or blunt discouragement. They will downplay your actions because they simply cannot relate to your efforts. The latter reaction, complacency, is characterized by a withdrawal of interest, wherein the individual declines to recognize the efforts you are making towards accomplishment. This complacency further extends into their personal lives, resulting in both mental and spiritual stagnation, inability to maintain a potential purpose, and even disbelief in the existence of a higher purpose altogether.

When you experience this resistance — and you undoubtedly will should you choose to break status quo — it is important to recognize that the energy you emit when you work within your passion is not compatible with the energy emitted by one who lacks passion. We know that in science, like energy attracts like energy. This holds true with our thought energy as well. Your thoughts and actions attract to you those with similar thoughts and actions. This is the basis of friendship. You get along with your friends because you think and act similarly, and you’ve attracted each other into your lives. There are some you may not get along with because their thoughts and actions differ from yours — a relatively simple concept.

When someone introduces a negative vibration that is discordant with your own, you must first have the wherewithal and understanding to recognize the disharmony, and second, yet more importantly, you must have the courage and will to hold fast onto what it is you are seeking, despite a person or persons attempting to dissuade you. Discouragement from others should only arouse more and stronger action from yourself. Remember that when someone tells you what you are working for cannot be done, they are expressing their own limitations, not yours; they are expressing their own doubts and insecurities — not yours. Staying true to your passion is about the relationship you maintain with yourself, and the confidence you have in it. Nothing has ever, nor ever will be, accomplished by placing your dreams and aspirations into the hands of another. When you live life based upon the expectations of those around you, you will eventually open your eyes to the fact that who you are is the result of a process you had no hand in. This is, more times than not, a sad realization.

Forgive the momentary reference to morbidity, but envision you on your death bed, where those present will only represent two types of relationships. The first is the one you have with yourself, and it is the longest and most important relationship you will ever have (placing aside respective religious affiliations). Be sure that when you reflect upon the hopefully long and rich life you have lived, you do so with appreciation, with satisfaction, with love, joy, and with acceptance. Be at peace with the journey you have traveled and the time you have spent. The second relationship represents those who are by your side in your final moments, as they are the truest and purest of relationships. They are a manifestation of the nature of the life you have lived. They will always miss you, they will always love you. Let us also note that it is not the quantity of those with you in the end, but the quality that is reflective of how you lived.

Now let’s flash back to the people discouraging you from acting on your passion. Are they really worth deviating from your path? Are they really worth sacrificing your desires? Will they be the ones by your side at the end, representing the truest and purest of relationships? Not a rhetorical here…the answer is NO! So, why allow them to impact your decisions? Why allow their negativity to cloud your judgment and mislead your aspirations? No one in this world is worth you not being yourself.

To put in different terms, it doesn’t matter what others say negatively about you, because their presence in your life is temporary! You need only weather the storm as they say, maintain your positive attitude and continue striving towards your goal through constructive means, and eventually those naysayers will be replaced with ones who support your vision and support your cause. If you live according to the laws of nature as they will be explained in this blog, then there is no other alternative than for this to happen.

What you do to and for others, you also do to and for yourself. Putting yourself out there in a vulnerable position is a difficult thing to do for anyone. If you fail to acknowledge and reinforce the efforts of those around you seeking their goals, you can be sure that you will receive the same treatment when the time comes for you to step into vulnerability. However, when you provide support and encouragement to others in the paths to their goals, watch and see as support and encouragement flow towards you with ease in your own journey.

Thank you for reading this installment of Waking Up Is Hard To Do. As always, you are greatly encouraged to interpret and apply these words to your own life, and to share them with whomever you believe may benefit from them. Spread this positive energy with good intention and watch it return to you in abundance. Please feel free to leave comments, questions, or reach out directly at wakeupcontent@gmail.com.

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Articles intended as a stimulant to conscious and creative thought aimed towards opening our eyes to the good all around us!

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