You can be a Great Spirit

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

— Albert Einstein You are a great spirit. You have goals, desires, and aspirations. When you share your plans for the future, are your ideas encouraged or opposed? If the people you speak with encourage you, you are in the minority. Unfortunately, it’s more common to be denounced than praised.

But don’t be deterred. The opposition you receive puts you in the company of some of the greatest minds the world has ever known.

Your challenge is to stay on track without allowing others to derail you.

It’s important not to allow others to extinguish your spirit with any adverse reaction. Constructive criticism is one thing, but that’s not what you will typically be offered. Rather, people will line up to tell you why you will fail. If their intent were positive, they would make suggestions on how to succeed.

Your spirit needs to be fanned to make it strong. To do this, you have to seek out those who will encourage and help you along your journey. These people may be hard to find. If you don’t personally know anyone, you will benefit from reading about people who have arrived at where you want to be.

Tune out all naysayers. There is no need to be rude. Just don’t pay attention to their negative comments. You don’t have to argue with them. You probably won’t convince them anyway.

It’s not important they believe you. It is imperative that you don’t listen to them.

See GOLDEN, page A6

Bryan Golden Living Without Limits GOLDEN

From page A4

The amount of resistance you receive will be proportional to how much you want to accomplish. The greater the goal, the louder the voices in opposition. One reason more people don’t accomplish their goals is because they allow others to discourage them.

Your spirit helps drive you forward. Your spirit gives you the strength to get up should you trip and fall. Your spirit must be preserved as the great asset it is. In addition to protecting your spirit, you must recharge it on a regular basis.

Here are some things to think about to help you maintain your spirit.

• You are unique. There is no need to be someone else. It’s ok to incorporate positive character traits you observe in others into your own character. But you will still be you.

The more secure you are with yourself, the stronger will be your spirit.

• You don’t need the approval of others. Although it’s nice to get support from family and friends, it is certainly not essential for you to attain your dreams. Most people who accomplish their goals do so in spite of the attempts of others to discourage them.

• You don’t need to impress anyone. Do what you need or want to do. Few people if any care about your opinions, so why should you be concerned with theirs. Besides, most people are so concerned with their own lives, they rarely pay attention to anyone else’s.

• You have the power and ability to solve problems and overcome adversity. Regardless of what challenges you face, you can find a way to get past them. Tap into your spirit when you need strength.

• It’s your life. Live it the way you want. Be considerate of others. Don’t take any actions that cause harm to other people or yourself. Do what you can to help others. The best way to show others the power of their spirit is to maintain yours.

The greater your spirit, the more opposition you will experience. So, if people are lining up to tell you how wrong you are, you are on the right track.

Now available: “ Dare to Live Without Limits,” the book.

Visit www. BryanGolden. com or your bookstore. Bryan is a management consultant, motivational speaker, author, and adjunct professor.