What if the person who inspires you was too afraid of what others might think, that they lived small to avoid the criticism?
There would be no athletes.
No actors.
No authors.
No musicians.
No successful entrepreneurs.
No philosophers.
No explorers.
Really THINK about what this world would be like.
You only have so much daily energy, and when you choose to spend it worrying about other's negative opinions regarding your path, you build a prison for yourself from which there is no escape.
Your energy needs to be spent on PRODUCTIVE & POSITIVE ACTION relevant to your specific goals.
A life lived to other people's standards is a life never truly lived.
If you're not living the kind of life that causes at least a little bit of jealousy and envy from others, you're just not trying hard enough.
In fact, I'd be willing to bet that you are afraid of being who you really want to be for fear of stepping outside of society's comfort zone and being criticized.
Jealousy, envy, and negative, unwarranted criticism are ugly emotions that unfortunately are an absolute reality of success.
They can come from strangers, "friends", and even family...and it sucks...but it's a cost of doing business.
This is one of the main things that keeps people from doing big things.
Not because "they" stop you...but because YOU STOP YOU.
I'm not going to pretend that I myself didn't struggle with this for a long time....but then I came to realize something profound:
It is my responsibility to shine.
It is my responsibility to lead an awesome life.
It is my responsibility to show what CAN be done.
It results in a tremendous amount of good and inspiration for others.
The criticism you get is a gauge of just how bad ass your life actually is.
It's not just about you...it's about your story and the message you send to the world.
It's about your legacy.
So...if you have trouble getting over the hurdle of other’s negativity, just remember it's your OBLIGATION to live an awesome life to show others they can do so as well.
Someone did it for you...
It's time to repay that favor.
—Andy