Rejection vs Encouragement. You decide

One month down I cheer and scream !!

Then the realization hits theres 11 more to go and i must admit that cheer drowns out and an awkward laugh replaces as I think, holy shit this feels like eternity. But I know I am not alone in this feeling and that one day ill be on the other side of it smiling as I survived it and moving on just like the many I have spoken to who have travelled this rocky road.

The knee is doing well :) the fluid is reducing, I'm walking up and down stairs unaided, I'm riding the bike quicker with more resistance, my squats are getting deeper and the quad is beginning to show face. I have a little friend called Flynn (is that how we should spell it Dani Evrat ?) who acts as my date on most outings. He supports me, looks out for me when I'm not grounded, and is my greatest wing man. He's pretty awesome ... and yes I'm sure you guessed it, Flynn is my shiny black walking cane. Don't be jealous ladies. You really do have to find the small things to keep you in a laughing fit and smiling in this process and Flynn's adventures at the Pavillion and the Central Coast have definitely provided ample entertainment.

I didn't have much motivation over the past two weeks to write. Not much changed with the knee and my mood fluctuated daily. However, this week sure is different. I feel connected, at peace, happy and powerful and I know "the universe has my back " (another good read I have just begun). Last blog I left the readers with a quote which has pushed itself into my path many times and its become part of my mantel piece. I asked you to sit and think about what it meant and what thoughts it provoked for yourself . This quote right here ladies and gentleman

" It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat".

Theodore Roosevelt, From the speech "Citizenship in a Republic", Delivered at the Suborn, Paris, April 23, 1910.

For me I resonated strongly with this image of being a warrior in my own arena. Dusting off my face and striving forward no matter my adversity. Reaching as high as possible and being proud that regardless of the outcome, at least the journey was one of great leaps and bounds and all kinds of passion in between. It also got me thinking about criticism and my fear of "stumbling" and failure and also rejection. Brendan Burchard used this quote to highlight something quite wonderful.

He points out that rejection and criticism don't happen as often as we fear it will. He asks how many times you have been rejected in a way that has forever altered your identity- it has really hurt and it really mattered ?. Most people can say around 7 times. He then asks how many times you have been encouraged in a way that had a very positive effect on your identity and life. Im sure we can all agree the latter is much harder to count and answer, id easily say over 5000 in my life so far and counting. He pushes the notion that we all fear this rejection so much yet it turns out that life altering rejection rarely happens to us. Why do we sometimes focus on the minimal times we have been rejected where our world has crashed ( not a small criticism or judgement or a "no" for a usual job) and let that stop us from daring greatly and taking risks and becoming our true selves ???

How much better would our lives be if we let the words of these critics brush over us, and almost have sympathy for them as most of their judgements highlight more about themselves as people than us. If we focused instead on all the encouragement, support, compliments and kind words we receive daily and found ourselves progressing towards our happiness. I want to thank Brendan for helping me realize that at many times I allow myself to fall into a heap over the words of some who only feel powerful when they prey on the weaknesses of others. I now choose to focus on all the love that surrounds me and pat myself on the back for my progress and efforts as I take on challenges and personal development. I really hope that you can chose to do the same . Our experience of life lies simply in our hands... we can chose how we experience our experiences !