April 4In the Way We Empower
The power people possess to annoy me I give them by a weak curiosity. No one can come near me but through my act. What we love that we have, but by desire we bereave ourselves of the love.
Ralph Waldo Emerson—Self-Reliance (1841)
How much of your brilliance is censored through compromise?
Compromise when appropriate is not itself a problem; it's when you decide to concede some element of your dream based on the words of another or the norms of an industry that you give those words and norms meaning and the power to steal your self-reliance.
The following quote is usually credited to Eleanor Roosevelt: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” This quote has a great deal to do with self-esteem, a core trait of self-reliance, and it applies to the quality of nonconformity so needed to blaze your own path.
Today, try to spend some time around a small child and witness just how little validation the child needs from others to be certain that something is true.
Challenge Question
- How are you conforming to the thoughts and wishes of others?
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