Silence The Critics

YouTube recently celebrated it’s 5 year anniversary.  By far my two favorite YouTube videos are from Britain’s Got Talent.  Susan Boyle who sang I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables & Paul Potts who sang Nessun Dorma. I loved as they each shocked the crowd with their incredible voices.  It’s not the talent that I love though, it’s the fact that when both contestants walked onto the stage they had already been written off by the judges and the audience.  Based on looks alone people in their mind had made their own conclusions.  Once they began to sing and the countenance of everybody changed it gives me goose bumps because the singers never changed.  They look at the crowd the same way, their voice remains the same and at that moment they silenced their critics.  They were convinced they could do it.  The crowds reaction did not change the belief that they had in themselves.

So many times we are quick to judge people without getting to know their story.  Who is in your circle of influence right now that you have made an unfair conclusion about?  Who do you need to listen to and hear their story?

Two Thumbs Up

Ever been criticized?  I have and it used to cripple me to the point I was afraid to lead, I was afraid dream and I was afraid to take chances.  Always afraid of what the next critic was going to say but guess what?  That’s what critics do, that is why they are called critics.  Critics are never going to be happy with you and chances are they will eventually move on to criticize others because after all, that is what critics do.

The other side of that are fans.  The people cheering you on in the corner.  They have your back no matter what.  Some do so in blind faith and support, others because they have a need to be on the winning side or in the center of what is going on.  Fans typically don’t want you to push it to the ledge because of a fear of failure.  Your fans typically don’t want you to change, they bask in your ability to maintain.  Your fans want more and more while they invest less and less.

There will always be critics in your life and you need be careful not to listen to them.  There will always be fans in your life and you need to be careful not to listen to them.  The key is find the balance in life and realize you are never as good as people say you are and you are never as bad as people say you are.  Find your confidence in yourself and your approval in Christ.