“Then said David to the Philistine,
Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come
to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom
thou hast defied. This day the Lord will deliver thee into my hand…”—1 Samuel
17:28-29 (KJV)
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My articles are often a team effort.
I would like to thank my wonderful daughter and husband for their advice and
help with the images and ideas in this writing.
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The scriptural
passage above references the famous story of David and Goliath, to which many
of us can relate. That’s probably why
the word “goliath” is almost a synonym for “challenge” I Samuel, chapter 17, is all about how David was a simple shepherd
boy who was mocked by his older brother, underestimated by his king, and frankly
despised as a worthless child by Israel’s main tormentor.
What did he
have going for him? He refused to listen to them. He didn’t internalize their outrageous negativity. Let’s relate
this account to our own lives:
These words
can be swirling around in our heads at any time. It’s up to us tune them out or
minimize them. Some people are more
successful than others only because
they refuse to let pessimism limit them. There are two particular phrases
that begin a negative streak when we self-analyze:
“Yes, but…”
“I’m not
smart enough”
“I don’t
have enough talent.”
“’They’ won’t
listen.”
“That sounds
like a lot of work.”
“It’s never
been done before.”
“What if…?”
“My services
or projects don’t sell?”
“That idea
doesn’t work?”
“People
laugh at me?”
“I encounter
cruel online trolls?”
“Nobody
cares?”
“The
assignment doesn’t turn out as planned?”
“This choice
complicates my life temporarily?”
“There’s a
huge learning curve for this task?”
It’s easy to
get into a never-ending loop of unanswerable questions. How do we break the
actual paralysis such thinking causes?
1.Make a list of the pros and cons of
weighty decisions.
2. Examine the best-and worst-case
scenarios. For instance: “I
could mess up that piano piece at the recital. Maybe a few people will laugh,
but I can practice and try again later.”
3. Realize that, even if something has
never been done before, it might work this time. Here are two illustrations:
The recent royal wedding Meghan Markle recently married
Prince Harry of England. They’re now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. There are three huge strikes against them:
Meghan is a biracial, divorced, American actress.
Gabby Douglas This stellar gymnast was a member of
the 2016 U.S. Summer Olympic Team. She is a history maker in two ways She is the
first Black individual all-around champion. She is also the only holder of that
title to win multiple gold medals in a single Olympics games.
4. Use empowering
affirmations. Here
are some common ones:
- “Just trying is enough.”
- “I give myself an “A” for effort.”
- “I can ask for help.”
- “I can get back up after I fall.”
- “My best is good enough.”
- “It’s okay to go at my own pace.”
- “Nothing needs to be perfect.”
- “I don’t need to impress everybody.”
- “I can try again-- as many times as necessary.”
5. Recall Past Victories
My Conclusion
Negative
input belongs in the trash, not in your mind.
Faith: the Antidote to Fear
Are you allowing trash into your brain?
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