INSPIRATION GAL: Consent to Feeling Good!

By Inspiration Gal | December 6, 2010 | Relationships

People often complain about how someone else made them feel a certain way. ΓÇ£My mother makes me feel inferior, my boss makes me feel stupid, and the beautiful people at the gym make me feel unattractive.ΓÇ¥

Whenever I hear a comment like that, I am reminded of what Eleanor Roosevelt said, ΓÇ£Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.ΓÇ¥

Most of us share the same experiences: being rejected or receiving a bad evaluation is a part of life. These are experiences that some might complain, ΓÇ£make them feel inferior,ΓÇ¥ but in reality, they make themselves feel inferior.

How? Well, they start focusing on the negative side of the rejection or bad evaluation. They recall every other time they got a bad evaluation, including the third grade teacher who told them their handwriting was awful, or the eighth grade music teacher who told them the Energizer Bunny could play a better┬áinstrument!

Before they know it, they are remembering the high school crush who didnΓÇÖt invite them to the prom, or the coach who told them they were a horrible player and subsequently the reason they never continued with a beloved sport.

By recalling all of these painful memories, they are making themselves feel inferior and giving consent to those feelings. It is a choice to go into your mind and feel that way. Like the old nursery rhyme, sticks and stones will break your bones but words will never hurt — unless you allow them to!

The trick is remembering what Mrs. Roosevelt said. Do not give your mind consent to start feeling inferior when bad things occur.

If a strange person walked up to you today and told you that you are inferior to her how would you feel? YouΓÇÖd probably think she was crazy and keep walking. But if your favorite movie star approached you and said you were inferior to her how would you feel? She is famous, rich, shapely and dating one of the sexiest men in the world. You could choose to feel inferior because you are not famous, not rich and perhaps too shapely and single.

DonΓÇÖt give up your consent. DonΓÇÖt wonder why the star said that to you. DonΓÇÖt assume she knows about the last guy who broke up with you or that you were fired from your dream job. Write her off as just as crazy as the random stranger! A star has no more power over your mind than anyone else. You are the only one who can make you feel inferior, not HER!

So please, when life gets you down, donΓÇÖt consent to feeling anything but happy, special and good, because you are.

Choose to be Happy,
Inspiration Gal

photo credit: courtesy LaForce + Stevens