Inspiration. We live in a world surrounded by inspirational messages. “Reach for the stars,” they tell us, or “just hang in there.”
So why is it that, in spite of being constantly bombarded by these messages, we continue to sell ourselves short?
Just ask any guy with a sister, mother, girlfriend or simply a girl friend. Chances are they have had to sit through at least one rendition of “Honey, do I look fat in this?” And it is not just girls that are on the bigger side of the fence, either. Why do we feel like we are not good enough?
As females, we are constantly worried about being too fat, too short, too tall, too blonde, too brunette, too something. If we were not, the fashion and beauty industry would not see the sky-high revenues it sees each and every year.
Appearances are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to selling ourselves short. The real problem we have is the “I’m not that kind of person” syndrome. How many times have you heard yourself say, “I wish I could do that, but I’m just not that kind of person”?
We all do it. We all wish we could lead the fabulous lives we see on television, in magazines or in books, but we never go out and get it. We sit back, content with mediocrity and leave the adventure for others.
I can’t even begin to count the posters that surrounded me as a child in grade school rooms that told me I could do anything. But somewhere along the road from childhood to adulthood, we lose the reach-for-the-stars mentality and learn to settle.
Learning to settle is truly a tragedy of mythic proportions. We stop believing in ourselves when we give up our dreams and settle for what is easy. Settling is a way of saying we are not good enough or do not deserve what we really want.
Where do we learn to give up? As Americans, we certainly do not come from a people with a history of giving up. Our whole country is built on self-made men and women. It is the American dream.
We are taught that if we work hard enough and want it bad enough, we can get anything from life. But how often do we stop pushing ourselves and inevitably fall short?
Today I am taking a stand. I am tired of giving up on my dreams, and watching the people around me do the same. I am tired of accepting mediocrity when I am capable of so much more. We all are capable of so much more.
You can have the life you always wanted-we all can, as long as we do not give up. So go after your dreams, and do not lose hope. Just keep truckin’ on.