Blog | Personal development

Why You Are What’s Most Important

Make sure your life support system is secured first before trying to save someone else

I’ve been speaking to you lately about the connection between our thoughts and emotions.

Though we own our thoughts and have control over them we often times let our emotions take over.

For instance, there’s been multiple studies and surveys done inquiring about people’s greatest fears. The greatest fear people have is that of public humiliation. The list topped off with rejection by your peers (second) followed by the fear of death at number three on the list.

Think about that. The top two greatest fears are centered around what others may or may not think about you.

In my previous post, I mentioned the woman who was so fearful of public speaking that she had a physical response (couldn’t get past the word commitment) due to her emotional baggage. She realized her fear of commitment and public speaking pushed down all of her thoughts and emotions she had in the past.

This is not uncommon.

I’m willing to bet, you (like everyone else) are avoiding your true nature, in some small part, because you’re concerned about what others may think about you.

Maybe it first began in school when you bravely raised your hand to answer a question but were humiliated by the class when you were told you were wrong. Or perhaps it appeared when you finally mustered up the courage to approach your “true love” and they brushed you off like dandruff. Regardless of when or how that sting of rejection first struck, it made a deep impact that affects you to this day.

I’m having you dig up these painful memories for an important lesson: when you’re too concerned about what other people think, you make decisions based not on what’s best for you, but what’s right for others.

Your Full Upright Position

My job requires a lot of travel, especially air travel. So I spend a lot of my time going through the onboarding process in airports across the world.

One of the interesting parts of the onboarding process is the inflight passenger announcements. If you’ve ever been on a flight, you may remember the instructions given to the passengers before take off.

After being told how to work a seatbelt and where to locate the emergency exit doors, we’re told about the oxygen mask.

It goes something like this:

“... Place it (oxygen mask) firmly over your nose and mouth, secure the elastic band behind your head, and breathe normally. Although the bag does not inflate, oxygen is flowing to the mask. If you are travelling with a child or someone who requires assistance, secure your mask on first, and then assist the other person. Keep your mask on until a uniformed crew member advises you to remove it.”
https://airodyssey.net/reference/inflight/

I highlighted the command that’s relevant to today’s post.

We are told, by law, that in case of an emergency we are to make sure our mask is secured first before assisting anyone else, even our own children.

This is an extreme example, but it drives home the point I’m trying to make. Far too often, we spend our time worrying about what others think when we should be focused on ourselves.

This doesn’t only apply to airplane safety. Think about your job. Are you working there because the work is fulfilling your life’s purpose or is it to complete a dream for your parents?

Are you in relationships that enrich your life or are you miserably trying to live an idyllic scenario you had as a child?

How you answer those questions will help you understand the hidden motivations behind your actions.

If you want to learn more about mastering your little voice, get a copy of my book, Little Voice Mastery.