Stop Letting The Critics Hold You Back

It was President Teddy Roosevelt who spoke the immortal words, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.”

It is well documented that one of the greatest fears people have is the fear of failing, so much so that many just decide to not even try. I agree with Eben Pagan who shared, “I don’t really believe in failure as a concept.” There are really only lessons learned in the process of growth.

Paul Cho, who oversees a congregation of one million people in Korea always asked God to send him anywhere but Japan. He had in intense hatred for the Japanese and their war crimes in WWII.

However, he was invited to come to Japan to speak to 1000 pastors and felt he should go. As he stood before the crowd he was silent. Trembling he spoke into the microphone, “I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.”

One by one the Japanese pastors approached the podium, knelt and asked forgiveness. As tears and emotion swept through the auditorium Paul Cho proclaimed, “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

Was it risky for Paul Cho to go to Japan? Yes, but he stepped forward anyway as the opportunity lay before him and found himself radically changed because he didn’t shrink from the challenge.

Indeed, fear of failure is directly linked to fear of what other people think. But when we no longer believe in failure as a concept, we find that our other fears dissolve as well.

Let me close with three simple but powerful leadership principles from Tony Robbins you can implement this very moment to radically shift your perception about life.

1) See things as they are but not worse than they are. This takes maturity and integrity.

2) See things how they could be. Dream big and imagine how things could be if fear didn’t hold you back.

3) Make them as you see them. Step forward and take action, ignore the critics including the harshest one who you may find in the mirror. In the end you just might find the thing you fear the most becomes the thing you really love.