Last night, while watching Michael Phelps establish his place in Olympic history, I listened as he answered questions about what spurred him on to achieve such greatness. He said that he welcomed any and all comments. He said that if someone tells him he can't do something that just makes him want to try that much harder. One would think that a man with eight gold medals around his neck would respond best to positive comments, but the overall desire to "prove 'em wrong" wins out in the end. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that a ton of positive emotions fuel Michael's training sessions and competition swims, but the competitive nature surely kicks in if for no other reason than to outswim that single "you can't."
We are all surrounded by cheerleaders and naysayers in life. Both are often the people who love us the most. I have been very blessed to have been able to surround myself with many cheerleaders (I'm not stupid). They back me up with neverending chants of "You can do it!" and "I believe in you!" Nevertheless, there are still some joy suckers in my circle whose apparent purpose in life is to douse my light and snuff my joy. As a sensitive, emotional, and people-pleasing person I respond very well to my cheerleaders. I stand taller, I gain confidence, and I start pushing forward. As an independent, sarcastic, and stubborn person I respond slightly different toward the joy suckers. I can't help but to shrink a little when their dark shadows threaten to blanket me. I can't help but to question and doubt myself as their negativity grips my heart. But, little do they know, I always keep a light on inside of myself (kind of like keeping a flashlight handy in the event of a power outage). And, for some reason, it shines brightest when everything around me is dark. Much like Michael Phelps, in his attempt to prove 'em wrong, I respond well to the joy suckers. While a gold medal may not be in the cards for me I will never stop heading toward my own finish line in my life's journey. My cheerleaders will never tire of spurring me on and as for those joy suckers...well, I may not be able to get them off my back...but out of the kindness of my heart I will still allow them to buy my books...I mean...they'll probably enjoy reading what I had to say about them...or not.
We are all surrounded by cheerleaders and naysayers in life. Both are often the people who love us the most. I have been very blessed to have been able to surround myself with many cheerleaders (I'm not stupid). They back me up with neverending chants of "You can do it!" and "I believe in you!" Nevertheless, there are still some joy suckers in my circle whose apparent purpose in life is to douse my light and snuff my joy. As a sensitive, emotional, and people-pleasing person I respond very well to my cheerleaders. I stand taller, I gain confidence, and I start pushing forward. As an independent, sarcastic, and stubborn person I respond slightly different toward the joy suckers. I can't help but to shrink a little when their dark shadows threaten to blanket me. I can't help but to question and doubt myself as their negativity grips my heart. But, little do they know, I always keep a light on inside of myself (kind of like keeping a flashlight handy in the event of a power outage). And, for some reason, it shines brightest when everything around me is dark. Much like Michael Phelps, in his attempt to prove 'em wrong, I respond well to the joy suckers. While a gold medal may not be in the cards for me I will never stop heading toward my own finish line in my life's journey. My cheerleaders will never tire of spurring me on and as for those joy suckers...well, I may not be able to get them off my back...but out of the kindness of my heart I will still allow them to buy my books...I mean...they'll probably enjoy reading what I had to say about them...or not.
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