Do you know what irks me?
When people say that other people are holding them back.
Reality check: You’re the only one who can hold yourself back. I say that because I think Life is comprised of decisions that we all choose to stick with. I know some things are just situational, but it’s on the individual whether or not they stop trying to pursue whatever goal they may have. I know that hardly anyone likes to take responsibility for themselves a lot of times, but it’s the truth.
Don’t choose to fail at something, or stop going after your dreams, and then blame someone else…
© Mark Stivers - 2006
The first real time that I thought about this truth (that we hold ourselves back) was when I went to one of those “Get Rich Quick” seminars with a friend. He was about to join the ranks of this door-to-door insurance salesman group and wanted my opinion on the group. While I wasn’t that impressed with the operation – something that was said by the leader of the group did stick with me.
He was Indian and really looked up to his parents because they left India and established something in America when he was a young man (I think he was 10 years old or so when they moved). He pointed out that they were not wealthy by any means, but regardless of what hardships came about – his parents always stuck to their goals and raised him to be the same way. The last thing he mentioned was the fact that some Americans annoy him because they say they can’t get a break. He called it “laziness,” pointing out that the opportunities Americans have in this country amaze people from some places – but the majority of us do nothing with that freedom.
Then he continued on his spiel of how we could take advantage of it by selling his product … O_o … Yeah – I checked out after that – but his story (true or false) was a provocative one. When you think about it, what kills your opportunities beyond you? You’re the one who…
- Chooses not to pursue options
- Procrastinates
- Over-schedules
- Under-studies
- Etc.
The list could go on – but the one common thread throughout all of your misdeeds in Life is “you” silly. Just own up to it already!
Depressing.
When you’re on the road to nowhere (yes, the image above goes with this comment) – fact is you have no one to blame but yourself in most cases. Once you get past a certain age, (most of the time) someone else DOES NOT own your destiny. I can’t stress that enough: Just accept it and get over it. So what you screw up? What’s wrong with that? You’re human and we all make mistakes in our short time here. I guarantee you that the faster you realize you’ve been holding yourself back through self-sabotaging behavior, the faster you’ll succeed at things (sort of like the famous first step to solving every problem –> admitting you have a problem).
Anywho – no need to keep pressing on this one. You get it. A Gentleman (and a Lady… crap, an adult in general) knows that “the individual is responsible for ‘self’ at the end of the day”. Don’t ever forget that Responsibility goes hand-in-hand with both success and failure. We make it all ourselves.
What do you think of the topic? Do you people are held back by others or themselves? Care to share any examples of yourself or some situation you’re familiar with to illustrate? Share your thoughts in the Comment Section below.
Peace and thanks for reading.
