Have you ever experienced one of those times when you were rolling along in life where everything was great then, all of a sudden, you hit the brakes for no apparent reason? Do you know what happened? Most people are unaware of the causes of this phenomenon and blindly try to move forward. Let it be known that there are certain types of people out there whose only mission in life is to halt the progress of others. They only want to drag people down. They only want to see others fail because of their own weakness. They figure if you miss a deal, don’t get that promotion, or they just simply put doubt in your mind, they will be bigger and more powerful. You need to be fully aware of these back-stabbers as they do exist right now. They are in your company, on your team, in your environment, possibly even in your family! They are internally motivated by your failure. There is, however, an effective handling to this situation and the first step is to be able to spot these situations first, know and understand they are present. Then, keep focused on your goals and keep headed towards them at full throttle.
I do not want to give you the impression that you must walk around like the sky is falling and that everyone is out to get you. In fact, just about the opposite. I do, however, want you to be aware how important it is not to let these low-lives creep into your world unnoticed. And when I say creep I mean that literally. These cowards have nothing but evil intentions and are out to get you. There are a percentage of people out there who want to see you fail and in their sick minds feel they are better off that way. And it only takes one to ruin your life. The best way to deal with these people is, again, to A) Know they are present B) Know how to handle the situation. It is as easy as that.
It can simply start like this; let’s say you are on a sales force of 12. Your month is going great. You’re leading the production board and life is just great. You already know how you’re going to spend your bonus money, and the vacation you and your spouse have been dreaming of is getting closer. Then, all of a sudden, out of the darkness, as you are getting a cup of coffee to start your day, a co-worker comes up to you as says “Well, well, I just looked at the production numbers from last year and it sure looks like it’s going to be slow these next two weeks, you should reconsider taking that vacation of yours. Gotta run. Have a nice day.” That’s all he says and walks away.
To those unaware individuals that was a blatant attempt to rock Mr. Producer’s world. A simple attack like that can make that cup of coffee a $20,000 cup of coffee if you allow it to! That little jab can side-track your month, your year, and possibly your life! Let’s say this little back stabbers comment goes to heart and you go into agreement with this guy. You could start actually thinking business will be slow and you can immediately spiral downwards falling off the pace you have set for your month. Then, if you simply reconsider your upcoming vacation, that signals he got to you. Furthermore, when you actually do go on vacation you will be thinking that you should have stayed home and from that point your vacation isn’t really a vacation. To reemphasize, as soon as you think of going into agreement with this guy it means he got to you. If you simply doubt yourself for a moment he accomplished what he set out to do. And it can happen as easily and undetected as that Listed below are some other comments from these cellar dwellers designed to start your downfall if you don’t notice it.
“You look tired, you should get some rest. Why don’t you go home early?”
“Man, business is terrible, let’s go home.”
“People just aren’t buying today, it must be the economy.”
“We are never going to get that raise”
“Everybody thinks you make too much money”
“I saw on the news last night they predict the housing slump will continue through next summer.”
“Do you know how many people are trying out for that part? Your chances are slim.”
As soon as you buy into this nonsense, you have become the victim of this twisted individual. Take a really good look at what was said and be able to recognize this as an attempt to throw you off. You have to immediately realize that is not your universe and must keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing in all areas of your life. As soon as you start doubting yourself, look back just before it happened and find out who was around and what was said. Find the boogey man and move away or address him immediately. Let him know that you won’t have anything to do with such negativity. The old saying “Misery loves company” certainly applies here. Living in apathy over a bad day or situation is not going to make anything better so quit agreeing with the garbage. The best way to handle these situations is address this person directly and let him know that you won’t be playing his little game or you can simply avoid the person altogether. This scenario can easily be applied to an aspiring athlete, an up-and-coming artist, and in fact, anybody.
Similar occurrences take place in the corporate business world every day. Do you ever wonder why certain people have a certain status or a high position in their respective companies? We have all seen numerous examples of the son-in-law promoted to VP when he can’t even tie his shoes. The friend hired into a certain position when it’s obvious he or she isn’t qualified. This is always a bad situation and you need to move on. This is just another way to hold the true talent back and keep you small. It is very important to keep your eyes open to this garbage 24/7. Always keep reinforcing your perfect life, your goals, and your dreams and don’t let these small thinking people in your world. What is there to lose by staying away from the trash? So what if somebody is supposedly “your friend”. You are far better off without them as a “friend”. They only want to crush you down and stomp on your dreams. Remember exactly why you went to work that day. Refocus on your dreams any time someone tries to throw you off. Restate your goals to yourself. Immediately reflect back to your purpose and what your end results will look like. Stay focused on the positive.
You can also fall prey to this type of sabotage by watching TV, listening to the radio, or reading the “newspaper”. Simply watching a typical 30 minute TV show will pull you down and you probably won’t even notice it. First off, you just wasted a half hour of your life in front of a box and you usually wind up feeling lethargic and I can guarantee you did not get anything positive accomplished. Then, when the junk food commercials turn you into a zombie, you go to the cabinet to get a dozen cookies and wash it down with some chocolate ice cream for good measure. Wonderful! In addition to that, reading the newspaper can give you the impression the sky is falling. The media gets paid to keep people in check and on edge. Horror, tragedy, and shock sell newspapers. Stay away from the fire and you won’t get burned. An easy way to brighten up is to avoid all media for a couple of weeks and see for yourself how your outlook changes. Always look forward and do not dwell on the past. What is done is done! You can create the future and you cannot change the past! Reading the newspaper is like taking a bath; you end up sitting in dirty water! Take a shower and let the dirt run down the drain people!
Another problematic area you can get involved in is a relationship with the wrong person. The sad thing is that you most likely won’t even notice the effects as they come about slowly and are sometimes very hard to notice. You can become trapped by this “partner” who only seeks to cling to you and suck the life out of you. This one association alone can stop you in your tracks and crush your dreams. As you can plainly see, whomever you hang with, or associate with, should be a very important decision and not something you should take lightly. Even a simple conversation can change your day. A spouse telling you to stay home from work can throw you off if you let it. Then the first difficult situation you get into at work that day will make you wonder if you should have stayed home. You’re done at that point. Befriend those who keep you up and motivate you. Seek out role models who have the attributes that you really are seeking. Their influence is immeasurable to your future success. Learn from them and take notes. There is a vast difference in the guy who is working just to get by in life and the guy striving to build a solid foundation for success in his life. Make the smart decision.
One of the last areas to address here is also at the workplace. It can wreck your life and shatter your dreams just like that. Keep an eye out for the “manager” or “boss” who constantly tries to hold you back from promotion, seeks to transfer you, or simply will not train you. They are afraid if you got bigger they would be passed up or demoted. This is the manager who cuts your pay when you “make too much” or rewards people who are loafers in spite of your stellar performance. Their main goal is to sidetrack you and make you feel weak and subservient to them. Look up the word “subservient” in the dictionary and it will really hit home. They are hoping you stay small and a slave. Be extremely careful. These people are out there and they can sneak up and slit your throat while you sleep. The most important action here is to keep your eyes open. Look at what goes on. See things that happen and take notes. Study how you are doing statistically and keep an eye out for down stats as that will tell you something negative has crept into your life under the radar. Find it and smash it! Don’t let it happen to you. The key to make them run and hide by producing. Increase your production like crazy and watch them react in disgust! When you make some money, do everything you can to make some more! Go out and waste some and let them know you won’t be a slave to anyone but yourself!
Now take this information and use it. Keep your eyes open. Repeat to yourself over and over what your purpose for going to work is. The key is to know what is happening in your work environment and your life. Be able to identify the good from the evil. Stay focused on your goals and never let anyone stop you from getting there. Have all you want out of life as it is there to be had. Reach for your dreams and create your life to make them happen. Look into the future and make the best out of your day and remember, keep the cost of the coffee under 5 bucks!
The $20,000 cup of coffee
