I find amazing the amount of time that some people will devote to convincing themselves that the world is coming to an end; that the future brings nothing good; that there is nothing they can do to improve their situation.
Even individuals conscious of
the disadvantages of immobility will sometimes fall prey to stress, anxiety and depression. Without any sound justification, they will accept restrictions that they could easily remove if they wanted.
Why is defeatism so ingrained in culture? What makes people believe, against all evidence, that they have no chance? How is it possible that millions of individuals are victims of self-imposed blindness and paralysis?
There are three phenomena that explain why human beings are too willing to give up their initiative, and lead a life far below their possibilities.
Social convenience is the first,
since it feels so good to belong to the majority. Short-term financial benefit is the
second, since people fear that, if they ask uncomfortable
questions and push forward, they might endanger their current income. The third motive, fear of rejection, is perhaps the
strongest.
Each of those phenomena exerts a strong influence on its own. All three combined are almost irresistible.
Nevertheless, experience proves that, in the long run, you will do much better if you avert emotional paralysis. If you let stress, anxiety and depression take over, they can destroy your life.
The antidote to negative emotions
Here is the antidote to those harmful phenomena: You just need to remind yourself that your personal growth is far more important than any short-term convenience, financial profit or the embarrassment of rejection.
Do not let the search for convenience repress your best initiatives. The habit
of seeking other people's approval can undermine your emotional strength; it can weaken the self-reliance you need to pursue your dreams; it can wipe out the motivation you need to stake your claims.
Remind yourself daily that the benefits you can draw from excessive conformity,
although sweet, will be short-lived. Do not sell your ambitions short. If you do so, you will receive tainted money, worthless currency polluted with stress, anxiety and depression.
Are you worried about rejection? Are you fearful that people won't like you? Do you feel anxious because you might be ostracized if you don't make the effort to fit? My guest is that you may be exaggerating the downside.
Instead of conformity and passivity
If you are surrounded by people who fail to appreciate your qualities, move on. Find better people. Find a better environment. Search for a better place to live and work. If your ideas are not appreciated by customers or neighbours, global markets are allowing you to find a better job, better customers and better friends in other cities or countries.
I won't deny that it's difficult to think for yourself in the
face of opposition. Conformity and passivity always
seem the best choices at first sight, but in the long term, they will make you vulnerable and unhappy. The short-term benefits of conformity and passivity are dwarfed by their lifetime cost.
The path
to success begins with the determination to take initiative every day. Commit yourself as well to ignoring gloomy predictions from the media, friends and
family. The world is
not coming to an end, and most dreary statements are not true anyway. Do not listen to people wallowing in imagined misery.
Never give up your dreams because of defeatist forecasts. Instead of wasting time with gloomy predictions, assess your alternatives, pick up the best, and begin to
walk in the right direction.
Stress, anxiety and depression will arise when people feel overwhelmed by problems and threats, or when they are facing obstacles
that seem insurmountable. What is the easiest way to become fearless? Logic. Evidence. Reason. Knowledge. Wisdom. Only they can provide the means to eliminate from our mind the fallacies that are feeding negative emotions.
Rationality is what allows you to make accurate
calculations, and take measured actions to improve your life. For instance,
if you want to avoid stress, anxiety and depression, you should not take it
personally when stupid people do stupid things. It's part of the cost of living. From time to time, other people's errors are going to harm your interests. That's life. It's not a valid reason for exaggerated anger or discouragement.
The escape from gloomy predictions
Instead of letting disruptions get the better of you, stand
up and redouble your efforts to attain success. Get back on your feet and
avoid passivity. Fear produces nothing and leads
to nothing of value. Choose self-reliance instead. Stay cool and do not blow problems out of proportion.
What today looks as a universal
malignancy will often turn to be just a benign problem, a minor issue that you will
quickly forget. What today seems a serious challenge will often have little
long-term significance. If you refuse to fall prey to negative emotions, you will see that disruptions frequently contain the seed of profitable opportunities.
Whenever you hear people make gloomy predictions, that's the best time to take swift action. Push yourself to face every crisis, personal or otherwise, by taking relentless
initiative. You are the one who decides which game to play and when a game
is over. Change your strategy as necessary, but keep playing until you win.
Fear is the worst enemy of
achievement and happiness. Immobility is always a losing proposition. Learn to view bad days as opportunities to build your creativity and strengthen your character. If you stay alert and proactive, you will soon find fresh opportunities to move forward.
Image: Photograph of classical Russian print. Photo taken by John Vespasian, 2016.
For more information about rational living, I refer you to my books
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