Naysayers and Mediocre Minds

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."
-- Albert Einstein

When you begin to have success, you may suddenly find yourself surrounded by mediocre minds and naysayers. Yeah, I know...but it's just part of the path to success.

Don't think for one minute that the most successful people in the world didn't have their share of naysayers and mediocre minds in their path--Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, and hello, don't forget Jesus! REgardless of your spiritual or religious beliefs, I'm sure you can see that Jesus had a mission that he believed in and not everyone was happy to hear it. He caught some flack, to put it mildly.

OK, I'm not saying you're gonna get crucified. Donald Trump is still alive and well, if you need a reminder. After all, the persistence to overcome all obstacles is part of waht separates the successes from the failures.

Here's your silver lining on the dark cloud of negativity:

When you suddenly find naysayers and mediocre minds flocking to your reality, YOU ARE MAKING PROGRESS.

Yes, I realize that sounds insane. But stick with me here.

The sudden onset of negativity in your world typically means that YOU are growing and THEY are not. Let's face it--people don't like change. some people don't like to see someone else get more attention. It brings out feelings of insecurity and threatens their fragile self-image. Even your friends may inadvertently attempt to sabotage your progress. It's that ego of theirs getting in the way (you know, the same ego that got in YOUR way for so long before you started having success?!)

Here's the cold, hard truth:
They can't help it--when you look good and you get better, you make them look bad for staying the same. They retaliate, sometimes in subtle ways. Negative comments. Snide remarks. Eye rolling when you talk about your goals. Jokes in front of other people. Digs. "Dream on" comments, and I mean the sarcastic kind. You know what I'm talking about.

And this truth may hurt even more:

Eventually, you will have to upgrade friends in order to continue to be successful.

It's true. You know that old saying - if you want to get better at tennis, you gotta play against someone who is slightly better than you. Your life in many ways is a reflection of your five closest friends. If you want to elevate your game, you gotta elevate your relationships and become extremely judicious about who you spend your time with. Who you associate with. Who you listen to and take advice from.

This is not an easy process. It requires letting go of friendships - some that you may have had for a long time, and weathered tough times together.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you dump all your friends when you get a little success. That would be crazy. But deep down, you know what I'm talking about. There are some people in your life that hold you back instead of pushing you onward to greater accomplishments.

Keep the supportive friends and take a good long look at those who hold you back. If it's the spouse holding you back, it's time for a heart-to-heart talk. The great thing about marriage is that you can help each other. Because your bond and your love is strong, you can grow and help your partner grow with you. Then the whole relationship hits a new level. But friends are an entriely different story--you are NOT married to your friends and free to change your social circles at any time!

So you gotta ask yourself (i.e., daily question/time to make a choice):

Are you ready to soar like an eagle, or are you content to stay on land with the chickens?

Hey, nobody said this success stuff would be easy. If you've decided to take the plunge, here's the good news: by purging your closet full of friends, you are creating space for new friends. And you can use the Law of Attraction to your advantage to attract people who are on the same onward and upward path as you. See? There really is a silver lining!