Standing Still or Moving On

Standing Still or Moving On?

In February of nineteen hundred and eighty-four, I made one of the most important decisions of my life. I decided to walk away, and never return, from a people who were generally pessimistic. After careful consideration, I felt I had no choice but to walk away from those who had an unproductive philosophy that kept me struggling and mystified. Only then, was I able to comprehend the length, breadth, and height of my decision. If you have a desire to achieve anything of significance, you have to disallow your life to be circumscribed by people who are stuck in mediocrity and have no desire to move beyond it. They may be good people; they are just not good for you.

Familiar surroundings create a false sense of comfort and security. It stifles a person’s creativity and robs them of their desire to tackle new challenges. When you are around relatives and old friends, especially the negative ones, you face a constant onslaught of temptation to return to the pattern of thought you just left. There are two major principles I believe will help you when it comes to making a decision to change your milieu.

First, changing your environment is the key to changing your life. If you continue with the same unproductive pattern of thought, the life you presently live is the snapshot of the life you will continue to live. Study the behavior pattern and philosophy of those you allow in your circle. You may discover that their philosophy for life is not conducive to where and what you want your life to be. Making life changes simply indicates your desire to move beyond your present status. I learned a valuable life lesson, that people do not do things for my reasons; they have their own. Some people are completely satisfied with their present life, and they cannot understand why you would want yours to be better. If it were true that your income is an average of your ten closest friends, it would be a wise financial decision to reshuffle some of your friends, placing the ones with greater incomes and integrity at the top.

The second principle, which is tantamount to the first, is for those who desire their life to be enjoyed and for those who want to keep from constantly living in survival mode. That principle is to wait for further instructions once you have followed through with the first set. Make no assumptions or settle for results that do not reflect your dreams and desires. Becoming an author, business owner, or to qualify for a higher paid position, is all predicated on self-discipline and having a good healthy self-esteem.

You cannot have old associates around, whose pattern is stuck on ‘how it used to be’, and think that these people can be relevant to where you are going. You cannot have it both ways. That is like saying, “I want it the way it has always been, but different”. If you cannot let go of what you know to be burdensome, you may have an emotional attachment predicated on people’s judgment of you. Once you are free from the insecurity and pain, the world looks different, and your experience becomes different. People who care about what people think or say about them are people who can never experience true freedom.

The most important thing in life is to decide what is most important.
~Ken Blanchard

About The Author

Dr. Mikel Brown

Dr. Mikel Brown is an author, businessman, and religious leader who resides in El Paso, Texas, with his wife and three children. He is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with over 28 years of experience. He has helped people from rocky marriages to rocketing careers. Dr. Brown has helped many people achieve success in marriage, business or just overcoming bad habits. He is the President and CEO of CJC Enterprises and owner and CEO of Power Communications Network, through which he conducts seminars and special events. His much sought after style of communicating and humor has made him a favorite for business conclaves and church conventions.

Comments

One Response to “Standing Still or Moving On”

La Vonne Nelson says:

June 28, 2011 at 6:38 pm

Familiarity of the familiar as it pertains to ones’ environment or thought patterns seldom ever produces anything positive.

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Dr. Mikel Brown

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