Who Is Your Worst Enemy? 3 Tips To Make Sure It Isn’t You. . .

Hi Friends,

This is the last day of the shortest month of the year. Friday, the 26^th of February, was Tell A Fairy Tale Day. It is a day to enjoy stories, fables, fairy tales, etc. whether you’re reading, listening or telling them to others.

Do you find that when you hear a story about someone who is like you, you tend to listen better and imagine yourself in the story? It’s easier to relate to what’s happening in the story, or even the intended lesson. This can help bring healing, peace, or confidence in a deeply therapeutic way.

Fables and Fairy Tales often have hidden messages or tidbits of wisdom for life. I enjoy reading fables and fairy tales and trying to grab the moral of the story.

Unfortunately, we sometimes create and tell ourselves stories, especially when there is a life situation or decision that causes us a bit of tension. Pay attention to the tension that bothers you and don’t try to convince yourself that it is nothing.

Pay close attention to your internal narratives.

We are equipped with an internal radar that warns us if something is not quite right. You know the feeling I’m talking about. We often choose to ignore the warning, which creates internal tension. We instead create an internal narrative, which can be either hurtful or helpful. Pay close attention to your internal narratives.

When we choose to continue a narrative that is hurtful, we can become our own worse enemy. We lead ourselves away from living a Bountiful Life. We instead continue to build our internal story, continuing to justify the choice for what we want and downplay the tension.

When the internal tension continues, we might even seek advice from others, choosing to further ignore our own internal warning. This can be especially true if the situation or decision causing the tension, is related to something we think we want to have or do.

We take on the role of becoming our own worst enemy if we also discount the very advice we go out and seek, or we seek sources who we know will agree with us.  We begin to listen to our internal narrative that may be based upon what we think we want, verses the credibility of the advice. Advice received should be based upon the merit or reliability of the advice not just the source.

When advice is given that we really don’t like, our internal narrative attempts to discount the source.

Have you ever said to yourself, “What do they know?” or “They think they have all the answers.” “They’re from another generation, they can’t relate to what I’m going through.” This is an attempt to relieve the tension of the decision and further convince ourselves that what we want to do is the right choice.

Unfortunately, I can remember times when I chose to ignore wise council, and convinced myself that what I wanted was the correct choice. It can turn out to be your biggest mistake!

We lead ourselves further away from the right path, the path that causes our radar to feel little to no tension. If you become your own worst enemy, you’re not the only one who feels the tension. Others in your life feel the impact of the internal tension that you are feeling.

We cannot be guaranteed that all our decisions will be the right ones. Remember, you have participated in becoming your own worst enemy because you have participated in every bad decision that you have ever made. Make sure that your participation in your life decisions follow strategies of wisdom that lead to positive outcomes and Bountiful Living.

Here are 3 tips to keep from becoming your own worst enemy:

1. Pay attention to voices of wisdom around you.  The wise did not get that way by never making a mistake. They have usually made many mistakes from which they have learned many lessons. When you seek the council of the wise you will find that many have made the same or similar mistakes which they will surely provide you sound advice.  Listening to the wise does not mean you don’t take action, it simply means that you learn from the mistakes of others and make your decision based upon those lessons.
2. Give yourself time to think. Try not to rush into a decision, especially if your internal radar is causing you to feel tension or doubt. The spiral to a really bad outcome is usually preceded by a series of bad choices where we listened to an internal story that discounts our internal radar and any advice we did not want to hear.
3. Seek council from those who are not only wise, but who are honest and trustworthy. I’m sure you already know who the people are who will agree with whatever you say. This does not mean their advice should be sought in making important decisions. You need advisors who have your best interest at heart. Your best advice will come from those who will lovingly tell you what you might not want to hear and that your narrative supports your discounting.

Who’s advice are you currently ignoring? What internal narrative are you listening to? What internal tensions are you discounting? What private discussions are you having with yourself? It’s okay to run those private discussions by someone trustworthy and wise for confirmation and clarity.

When we have division within, we are weakened and vulnerable. Make wise choices. Live your best and Bountiful Life!

“If you already know what a wise person would say, you already know what to do.”

~ Andy Stanley~

“Lessons in life will be repeated until they are learned.“

~Frank Sonnenberg~

“Ignoring the signs is a good way to end up at the wrong destination.“

~Anonymous~

**DISCLAIMER~PLEASE NOTE**– I am not a medical or mental health professional. This post is based upon my own experiences and is not intended to suggest that others take it as professional advice. Always consult your medical professional before making any changes to your medication or lifestyle.

Your Future Pilot to Transformation,

BA Design ~ MA Ed ~ Certified Life Coach ~ Workshop Facilitator