It’s a shame really. Our world is filled with such suffering and pain and war, yet, somehow, those of us that seem to have so much waste time threatening others on such a basic level. What’s the point? My values are really very simple. Respect me, and you will be respected. Give me the chance to grow, and I’ll bend over backwards for you. Contrary to the image people create of me, I have better things to do than think, “oh, how can I screw so-and-so today.”
Unless you physically have a weapon in your hands, threatening my life, I no longer fear people and their attempts to make me feel inadequate. The lesson I learned this year (so far), is that people who try to scare you, truly fear you. Why else would they come after you to knock you down? A very amazing and inspiring entrepreneur, Courtney Cachet, wrote an article How to Be A Lucky Bitch in 2012, that tells us to stop listening to the noise. Here’s what she says:
The luckier you are, the better your life will be. The better your life gets, the more haters rise to the surface. They get so focused on “How’d they do that?” and clouded in jealousy, they never allow the good luck to come to them. You can’t let this bother you. You have to shrug it off and pay no attention to it. There will always be naysayers, there will always be those who try and bring you down. Don’t go for the bait and just keep doing your thing. Try not to be nervous.
She couldn’t have hit the nail harder on the head. Instead of going after people you may seem threatened by, embrace them. Take cues and advice to make yourself (and maybe your business?) a little better. If you’re so adamant about knocking them down, they obviously have the drive and knowledge to be better than you. Since Courtney shared this with me a few months back, I haven’t been able to shake it. Recent events have only encouraged this more.
To those that feel the need to knock others down, I say this: Use the same energy to build yourself up. I am not a competitor, I am a fellow entrepreneur that is so bossy and headstrong that having my own business is logical. I don’t steal people’s business away, I earn the trust of my acquaintances and keep it (when others seem to so quickly squander it). My intentions have NOTHING to do with you, in fact, I completely forgot about you the day I left. I have set out to create a life for myself, as should you. Stop listening to the noise and focus on your own success, because I could care less about what you do.
It is so easy to succumb to the noise sometimes. Do what it takes to make yourself listen to what matters most… YOU.
