Have you ever found yourself hesitating to share your point of view during a meeting because you were concerned with what people would think about you for sharing it?

When you walk into a room full of people you don’t know, do you feel uncomfortable and as if people are checking you out and possibly judging you?

I can promise you you’re not alone!  There’s a large segment of our population who live with varying degrees of this anxiety, and in fact … I think it is safe to say that every human being has experienced these type of feelings at least a few times in their lives.  🙂

If you take a step back look at these feelings logically, I think you’ll quickly build a case in your mind proving these feelings of anxiety are completely unnecessary and irrational.  The following are a few things that might help give you some perspective.

Everyone has their own issues and insecurities.  It’s funny how sometimes we believe we are the only one dealing with those internal voices causing us to second guess ourselves.  Everyone else is somehow 100% bullet proof and super confident, and  possess the skills to see through us and immediately identify our weaknesses! Seriously?  Come on … You’re smarter than that!  🙂

Do they pay your bills?  Remember when you were the most fired up about that new THING and you excitedly told your friend about it and they laughed and said, “you can’t do that!”  You were hurt, annoyed, a little angry, but all in all, those emotions caused you to feel crushed.  Worse of all it made you begin to question your decision.

Really?  First of all you need to get different friends.  Secondly, how much time and energy do you think they spent thinking about your idea or even how their words might have affected you once you left?  Well the answer is ZERO.  They immediately went back to focusing on themselves and their problems.  Heck, the reason they tried to steal your thunder is probably because they were feeling pretty bad about their own circumstances.

If this isn’t reason enough to discard their negative sentiment … REMEMBER, they don’t pay your bills!  You do, so make decisions for yourself!

There are far too many times we sacrifice our own happiness because we’re afraid of what other people will think or what other people will say.  The bottom line is their thoughts are only that … their thoughts, and you’ll never truly know what they are anyway, so why be concerned with them.

We also put far too much weight in people’s words without truly evaluating where they are coming from…

Did they have a negative experience years ago that they’re still sour about?

Did hear a story about someone else who did and they don’t have complete information?

Or did they simply have a rough morning and their looking for someone to take it out on?

Regardless of the reason why, their words have no way of hurting us unless we allow them to.  So DON’T!  The only person responsible for helping you achieve a life of happiness, is YOU!

If you want to achieve big things, YOU need to take massive action.  YOU are responsible for making the decisions that will lead to either success or failure.  Surround yourself with supportive, positive people to help guide you, but ultimately, YOU need to make decisions for YOU!