“You’re not the same….You’ve changed.”
That’s the G-rated, non-manipulative version of the story whenever you level-up in life, and yes that language is almost always used when you’ve improved.
Isn’t that interesting? If you step down in life, people don’t tell you how much you’ve changed. They either avoid you or secretly feel happy that you’re lower than they are. It’s unpleasant stuff to think about, but we haven’t evolved as much as we’d like to think.
The #1 reason people criticize you for changing is because of their own fear, they are afraid of losing you. Your improvement reflects a mirror on them. They feel inadequate.
While we don’t want to be cruel people, your improvement can’t be held back by negative feelings others have.
I’ve been thinking about this issue a lot because as someone with a large audience, people get furious at me for writing about or speaking about a new subject.
And these emotions apply to “public personalities” as well as on the micro level.
When you quit drinking, your drinking buddies are upset. When you hit the gym, your friends may make snide remarks about you new “obsession.”
We hear that word a lot in this world, don’t we? Obsession.
What is wrong with being obsessed with a new business, or a new hobby, especially a positive hobby like health, fitness, or mindset.
And if you ask me, people are OBSESSED with television. They watch it for hours a day. Why aren’t people out there screaming at TV watchers? (For what it’s worth, I spend too much time online, so no judgment here if TV is your bag.)
I have trouble trusting people who aren’t obsessed. How can you not wake up thrilled about some activity? That’s not a good life.
What drives you?
People always ask me some various of that question. Why do you do what you do?
I grew up on welfare. Literally. In America everyone loves a rags to riches story, and people often “indulge” stories of their past. But for real, we spent some time on welfare, and my dad worked for less than $10 an hour in factories.
For me, there was never an option to “settle.” I often feel bad for the kids in media who go after me, they don’t have anything going on, they don’t know what it’s like to suffer….to sense that, “If I don’t make it, I got nothing.”
Knowing that I either made it or have nothing is why I do what I do.
But enough of this diary entry stuff.
Change is good.
Obsession is a requirement for success.
And don’t let the haters get you down – whether it’s one nasty person in your social circle or it’s millions of people.
Idiot.