How to Deflect Negative B.S.

How would you like the ability to be able to bounce negative b.s. – things like criticism, hard feelings, people trying to use guilt or intimidation, peer pressure and more – right off of you like a superhero bounces bullets off his chest?

Well – you can.

All you have to do is use the strongest weapon you have in your arsenal – it is the weapon that can defend you from anything negative or harmful, but also is the same tool that can help build the life of your dreams…

Your mind.

The first thing is to realize that nothing is negative b.s. – criticism, hard feelings, people trying to use guilt or intimidation, peer pressure and more – unless you DEFINE it and ACCEPT it as negative b.s.

If this sounds too easy or childish, hang on.  Here is an example.

Someone who I respect very much once said to me that he was unimpressed with some work that I had done.  He went on to say that I must not be that great at what I was doing because if I was, I would have been making more money and been more successful.

What I had been doing was brand-new; I had never done it before and was learning as I went along and still had been able to make five figures a year doing it.  What made me keep going was the unlimited potential and the joy I got from doing it.

I could have done one of two things when he made these comments to me.  One, say to myself, "He's right; I'm a loser.  What was I thinking trying to change careers after eighteen years.  I will never be successful in this.  I should thank him for being honest with me and go back to what I was doing and never try to do something like this again."

Or – I could have said to myself, "Self, while you aren't satisfied with these results either, you did get some level of income, which means this business can work and you can do it, you just haven't hit the level of success you want because you need more practice. 

He means well, but he doesn't understand what it is you are doing and he doesn't know how to be positive or supportive, this is how he is and it has nothing to do with you."

Which one do you think empowers me and moves me towards my goals and desires, and which one do you think would set me up for a life of failure if I chose it?

Which one did you think I picked?

Elanor Roosevelt once said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your permission" – and she was right on.

If you have a difficult person in your life, or there is someone picking on your child at school or during the summer, you don't know what it going on in their life.

Maybe there is a new baby in the family and everyone is a stress case; maybe there has been a death in the family.  Maybe the person is suffering from abandonment or abuse issues or who knows what.

You don't know.  All that you DO know is that you are in control of assigning meaning to what they are saying and doing.  If you are focusing on taking back your power, that means you are defining things in such way that you are empowered instead of making yourself feel small, insignificant and weak.

You define who you are and how you feel about yourself.  You and you alone.  You have the power.

Take back your power,

Sensei Harrison Huff

P.S. – You can learn more about how to take back your power – and not become the target of a bully in the first place – through the book, "Bully Proof Kids".  Check it out at http://www.bullyproofkids.com today.