Category: encouragement

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encouragement honesty inspiration Inspirational Thoughts motivation openness

Where Authenticity Meets Vulnerability

The word ‘Authenticity’ and the phrase ‘Be Your Authentic Self’ have become extremely popularized in recent times in a world which is supercharged by intolerance. Intolerance is a significant impediment to Authenticity.

In our day to day existence, we are faced with the dilemma of either being honest about who we are and possibly risk ostracism and isolation, or being forced to pretend to be ‘someone else’ or ‘something else’ to gain acceptance, or to avoid discrimination. This dilemma arises in response to perceived, and often times real, societal norms and expectations that dictate how we should look, behave, or even dream!

The dissonance that results from this disconnect has had untold negative impacts on the affected individuals for generations. The different coping mechanisms adopted by individuals in response sometimes compound the situation, often leading to tragic outcomes.

When we shape our expectations of others solely on the basis of their background, we sometimes inadvertently treat them based on the expectations that our stereotypes dictate. This discourages authenticity.

O. N. Rowe

When we are intolerant of others based on how they are different than we consider ourselves to be, this discourages authenticity. When we deny others the freedom and opportunity they deserve to express their individuality and all that this entails, this inhibits authenticity.

In fact, I believe when we take the stance that our personal characteristics, circumstances, backgrounds or experiences make us in any way superior to others, we are being arrogant, self-righteous, narrow-minded and disrespectful.

Everyone, regardless of differences, have a right to be their authentic self without fear of repercussions. However, as a starting point, we all need to be honest about who we really are, vis a vis who we portray ourselves to be. We need to be willing to be vulnerable!

O. N. Rowe

Authenticity in its real sense removes the clutter from our psyche and provides the clarity of purpose that unleashes the power within us to accomplish our dreams, regardless of how ‘different’ they happen to be.

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encouragement inspiration Inspirational Thoughts motivation

Past Experiences Vs. Future Expectations

Don’t let past experiences derail your future. A change of fortunes might be just around the corner.

There’s a saying that goes ‘Once bitten, twice shy.’ The essence of it is that if you have a particular bad experience once, you will be inclined to expect a similarly bad experience next time around.

To some extent that makes a lot of sense. After all, who would want to risk having a repeat of a bad experience, especially one that had a huge impact on them?

Unfortunately, bad experiences are part of life and come via many sources, some expected, and others devastatingly unexpected. Some result from our own actions or non-actions; other times through other persons’.

In response to what might appear to be frequent disappointments we rationalize and comfort ourselves by saying we ‘…expect the worse and hope for the best’ in our quest to avoid further disappointment. This can be a dangerous approach to take!

This is because our reality tends to be aligned with our expectations because our expectations influence our actions. Simply put, we put out greater positive effort where positive returns are expected. Bottom line: effort often determines success.

In spite of past disappointments, we can set ourselves up for success in the future by taking our disappointments in stride, learning from them, and continuing to pursue, and expect, the very best outcomes in the future.

O. N. Rowe

Bottom line: Don’t let your past experiences shape your expectations for the future.

Expect BETTER to rise with the dawn of each new day.
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encouragement inspiration Inspirational Thoughts motivation

Giving Your Best

There’s always a struggle against complacency and arrogance; success demands our full focus and the right attitude

Not everything you set out to do in life will go your way; and that’s ok. The important thing is that some will! Sometimes you can never tell which will turn out to be a success – even the ones you are most certain about can fail, and the ones you least expect to, can succeed.

The reality is that there are some situations where you possess all the right skills and resources to succeed at, but you fail because one critical ingredient is missing: the right attitude.

Yes, sometimes we become overconfident and arrogant – believing we ‘cannot’ fail because of how ‘good’ or ‘talented’ we are. This can lead to a sense of entitlement that sees us under-prepared, or become overhyped, or even to underestimate the full scope of what is required to succeed thereby under-exerting our effort.

O. N. Rowe

Sometimes we even underestimate the desire of someone else to win in instances where there are competitors.

Where these acts of self-sabotage take place (and that is exactly what they are), failure is almost assured. The fault for such unexpected outcome then lies squarely at our feet even if we seek to transfer the blame on someone else, or on something else.

Therefore always be humble and be prepared to work hard; to run through the tape; to keep your shoulders to the wheel. If, after all that, failure is the outcome, then you can feel satisfied that you gave it your best shot.

And that ALWAYS means that you are better off than you would have been, had you not given your best.

Only you can say whether you have REALLY given your best.