Accolades do not always fall where they are due. People are either too blind to see or coerced into the favor of another. Yes, I’ll say it. “It is what it is.”
When you were a child, the “good boy”, “good girl” made you light up. It made you happy. The “Stop that”, “We don’t do that” in turn, well, you know how that felt. Anyways, here’s the point of my message; stop looking for approval in others. They do not have an accurate measure of the all that you are. Do you know who does? That’s right, it is you. All day, every day. You, you, you.
All of these cliche’s; “You are your own worst critic.”, “Love yourself first.” are true of course. I know it isn’t always easy, especially when others do not see your worth. It shakes your confidence and begins the assault on your very foundations.
Here’s the thing, it’s a big one too. Many times, those people in positions of authority question their own abilities to perform. This is especially true when someone “below” them is more equipped and adept in that particular field. What to do? What to do? Hmmm.
Stay where you are and be looked over, kept down and miserably controlled, contrived? Go ahead, sure. If you are content to merely get by, only to skim the surface, so be it.
Is that what you want? Does that feel good, make you happy? If the answer is a “Hell no!” then that changes things doesn’t it.
Set the bar high, you know your worth. This does not mean that you need to be a pompous ass, all full of yourself. No. True confidence and self belief does not look like that.
Perhaps a conversation with your “superior” is warranted. Were your career goals for advancement known? Advise them of your expectations, come up with a “win, win” plan for moving forward. Maybe you’ve already done this and talked until you were “blue in the face” and it is time to move on to “greener pastures”.
Don’t let fear and a self imposed limiting belief hold you back. Take the “bull by the horns” and get to it. You know who you are. You know what your capabilities are. You get to decide on the life you want. Close your eyes, what does it look like? Visualize it, see it, taste it. Create the life you want to live.
Will it always be easy and go smooth? Probably not. That’s OK. You keep at it, keep going. Keep chipping that ice, you’re going to need it for your lemonade. Plain and simple here; step up and step out. You are not meant to live in the shadows, no, you are not. Turn on the stove. Mix the biscuits, fry the bacon. Rise and shine. Rise and shine. Rise and shine.
Channeled message from General P. G. T. Beauregard. Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard (May 28, 1818-February 20, 1893) was an American Confederate general from Louisiana, who started the American Civil War at the Battle of Fort Sumter on April 12th, 1861. “Beau”, as he asked to be called, did not like to play politics. He called things as he saw them and ruffled more than a few feathers along the way. Being a Catholic, Creole Frenchman did not come easy. Many of his peers were anti-Catholic and anti-foreign and often rejected his ideas and ignored his opinions and unsubstantiated rumors of all kinds flew about. However, the soldiers who served under Beauregard respected him greatly. After his military career, he returned home to Louisiana, advocating for black civil rights including suffrage. He served as a railroad executive and became wealthy promoting the Louisiana Lottery.