Don’t reject yourself. There are plenty of people that are willing to do that for you.
You no longer have to reject yourself. It’s not your job description any longer. You can let go of the burden and responsibility. Consider yourself set free. Free to no longer question your worth, defend your dignity, and live with failure.
The truth is we reject ourselves. We reject ourselves long before anyone else can have that privilege.
It’s true. We have an idea and we work that idea day in and day out, but instead of sharing it with the world, instead of doing something with it, we experience a storm of doubt, and decide that no one wants to hear from us, that we’re not good enough, and that it is our utmost responsibility to protect our heart from failure.
And where does that get you? We’ve protected ourselves from possibly looking like a fool to someone, for some period of time, but deep inside we have widened the gulf of regret that can only be managed by action. It can only be mitigated by an unapologetic act of living.
Stop rejecting yourself. That’s what other people are for, and you will unavoidably discover that they are not as proficient as you are in their task. Not everyone will reject your idea, your purpose, your attempt to share who you are. It’s impossible. Utterly impossible to succeed one hundred percent of the time, and just as hopelessly impossible to fail a hundred percent of the time. So, the secret then isn’t to win or lose, or to be or not be rejected. The greatest give we can give ourselves is to get out of our own way, do what needs to be done, and not stop ourselves before we get started.
Let the world tell us what it thinks. Let people show us how they feel about what we’ve done or created. Let them attempt to express who they think we are, in the best way they know how.
It hurts everyone when you listen to those voices in your head that you’re a fraud. It serves no good to wear an emotional hair shirt, punishing yourself for things you don’t deserve to be punished for.
Don’t smile and falsely encourage yourself either. That kind of drunken courage is just as dangerous, but it just burns faster and runs away quicker. But there is no reason to run away from anything. There is no reason to hide from anyone. There is no reason whatsoever to worry about success before you are finished.
You were commissioned as an artist by being born. You were given a set of gifts and talents only you are capable of sharing with the world. You were commissioned not to be successful but to be faithful. Faithful to what desires are burning inside your should. Faithful and committed to putting your best work forward.
That’s all. You don’t have to question your best efforts. You don’t have to challenge your talents and you certainly don’t have to reject yourself. Not anymore, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised and sometimes, when it matters the most, you’ll be dead wrong.
Cover photo generously provided by photographer Niklas Hamannn via unsplash.com
