"You must refuse to join them. You must remain yourself. You must open the curtains or the blinds, or the windows, or the gentle light to joy."
-Charles Bukowski
Greetings! Hoping this finds you well after a festive Thanksgiving and guantlett of offers over Black Friday, Small Biz Saturday, and Cyber Monday. Did you know Sunday was a day to spend, too!?! Yeah, just regular old Sunday to spend and spend again. Anyways, on with this thought as we gear up for Christmas:
One thing that's guaranteed as you break from the pack and pursue life on your own terms are the free "gifts" from naysayers.
They come in two forms -
a) The ones who love you
b) The ones that don't
The first group are the hardest. It's your husband, wife, sister, mom, brother, dad, best friend (hell, even the dog) who see you wandering off the well worn path and they worry about that.
With the best of intentions they make little remarks.
"That sounds risky."
Are you sure you wouldn't rather play it safe for now?
"Who knows what's going to happen in this environment?"
"But you don't know anything about XX!"
When things get hard (the journey always SEEMS harder when stepping off the beaten path) they try convincing us to rejoin them on the path of dependence, and mediocrity running with the herd across the status quo plains.
If you're facing this kind of naysayer, take heart. Understand they do it because they love you. Because they don't want to see you get hurt.
But remember - what they think is the safe path is fraught with danger. We're just as likely, maybe even moreso, to get hurt running with the herd today (See the cliffs?)
Sure there are no lions or bears on the path (well...actually...on second thought, there likely are in this environment).
Those animals are supposed to live in the forest, cloaked by the brush and canopy. But on the path there are countless highwaymen and grifters (predators) who will fleece you of time, sanity, cash and your life if it suits them.
The journey through life is dangerous no matter which path is chosen, so nod to the loving naysayer, smile, and ignore them.
The second kind of naysayer is the easiest to ignore, but are often the most demoralizing. They are the people who never want to see you succeed. They take every opportunity to cut you down, spread rumors and destroy your confidence. They put that voice in your head that says:
"This will never work. You're an idiot. Nobody cares about what you've got."
Yes, I've had all of those thoughts myself over the past few weeks about the Liberty Accelerator Program, my book, and more. It's a vicious dog eat dog world...but that's what community is for, and the communities I'm in lifted me out of that deception.
We experience them online, on social media or in the comments of the latest video. They stand at the side of the road and hurl insults as we move further and further away from them and the status quo they embrace under the false narrative of safety and security.
If you encounter this kind of naysayer, do everything in your power to block them out.
Stop reading the comments under video content, stop responding to the hateful email or social media comment that managed to get through.
Refuse to let someone so petty occupy space in your head.
The good news is, these people will not last long.
You are moving too fast while they stand still, and look at the ass of the lemming ahead of them. They will never catch you and in a short time they will be out of earshot, falling down the cliffs while you are headed in a completely different direction...your own direction, with a map of your choosing, compass firmly in hand.
You are on a path few travel. In fact, only you can travel it.
There will be enough struggles as you find success, and as success finds you. But it won't find you in the pack running towards the cliffs.
Do everything you can to block out the darkness and let in the gentle light of joy.
To Your Liberty,
#HeckYeah
P.S. If you haven't picked up a copy of the book yet, the knowledge you're missing doesn't age well with time.
It's not free because I want you invested in your own education about the future. When we pay...we pay attention.
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