Skip to main content

Eviction Notice



To some degree or another, I think we are all guilty of allowing people to rent space inside our head. I’m not talking about the voice of a trusted friend or mentor who holds you accountable and sometimes tells you the hard truth you need to hear. That person can become the “angel on the shoulder” whose advice and influence can keep you from making harmful decisions even when they’re not present to stop you.  No, I’m referring to the negative voices from people who undermine our hopes and dreams, discount our abilities and worth, and riddle our mind with doubt. It’s the people who seem to hold us hostage by their opinions of us. And it’s not that those people are necessarily bad or evil. In fact, they are probably unhealthy and burdened down by their own fears and negativity. I feel bad for those types of people. But that doesn’t mean they get to reserve space in my head and thoughts rent-free.

Consider the people in your life who get to live inside your head. Are they “paying rent” with encouragement and wisdom? Do their voices nurture hope and optimism? Or are they more like squatters: abusing the space and neglecting to pay any rent?

I realize some of those people in your life who spew negativity and doubt may be family members and close friends, so cutting them out of your life may not be an option. But you don’t have to allow their words and opinions to dwell with you. You don’t need to allow them that space inside your head. It might be time for some evictions!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Toxic Humility

We have all seen false humility: the guy who tries to hide his arrogance with feigned modesty. It’s usually pretty obvious and always obnoxious. But there is also another variation of false humility out there: toxic humility. This is often displayed in self-deprecating talk and a lack of self-confidence, belittling or undermining one’s own talents and abilities. The danger in this kind of behavior is twofold: it is too often accepted as true humility and like a virus, it spreads doubt and disbelief. To clarify, it is not that the bearer of this toxic humility isn’t honest about his view of himself. That is the very issue: he absolutely believes he has little value or utility. He thinks downplaying his own worth is humility but I disagree. CS Lewis said it best when he wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking about yourself less.” His point being, true humility is not an ever-present raincloud of self-doubt that follows you around. It’s a focus on...

The Art of Intentionality

  “Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make you.” – Richie Norton   I am not even sure who Richie Norton is, but I love that quote! I imagine a ship drifting out to sea, pushed around by the wind and the waves. No course of direction, yet the captain is frustrated when the ship ends up dashed against the rocks, trapped on a sandbar or marooned on an inhospitable island. It is easy to complain when life takes us where we do not want to go. But who is really to blame if we have never set our sails to align us along an appropriate course? Do we blame the waves, wind and the weather? Or should we blame the captain of the ship? It is our life and our ship. We must set our sails with intentionality and determined choices. Otherwise, we are doomed to aimlessly drift along according to the choices and decisions of others. 

The Hungry Lion

  Early in my career, as I was struggling to both build up my clientele and provide food for my family, someone tried to encourage me by saying, “remember, the hungry lion hunts best.” At the time, that made sense to me. And it probably even provided some much-needed reassurance. But I have since come to think differently. I was a starving lion, and I learned a few things from the experience. Hungry lions get fatigued. They become desperate. They cut corners. They make unforced errors. But fed lions have their own issues. Their satiety can turn into selfishness. They get comfortable and then complacent. These lions do not hunt well either. I believe the lion who hunts best is not the hungry lion nor the satisfied lion, but rather the lion who hunts not for himself and his own hunger, but for the pride of lions around him. His drive is not his own need for nourishment; it is the hunger of those around him that motivates him. Our world is a hurting and hungry place. Not just ...