Learn to listen to yourself

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other people’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

It is the fear instilled by our environment that mostly limits us. We are often incapacitated and discouraged by the ‘music’ of other people’s unpleasant experiences. The failures we see in others build fearful thoughts in us, causing us to unconsciously wane in our faith for success.

However, the fact the other people failed in a thing does not mean you will fail in the same. Other people’s realities do not define your reality. To stay positive about your dreams and eventually realize them, you must learn to look primarily to yourself for answers.

You have within yourself the source to every power and answer to every question. Listen to other people’s advice and seek to understand their perspectives, many of these provide immense value, but follow your heart in every matter of importance.

Your world within determines your world without. We become externally as we are internally.

Everyone thinks of light bulbs when they hear the name – Thomas Alva Edison. He is clearly one of the greatest inventive geniuses in the world, with 1093 American patented inventions to his name – a record number for one person that still stands. Like many other heroes, his story was not without a clog. Around the age of 12, Edison realized that his hearing was deteriorating, and this grew worse later in his life. He became hard of hearing, almost deaf.

There he was, a twelve-year-old Edison largely self-taught. Teachers thought Edison was slow – one called him stupid – so he was homeschooled by his mother and read constantly. He shunned every disbelief and negative music sung by his teachers. And see how he turned out.

Reporters often asked him: “Mr. Edison, if you are near deaf, why have you not invented a hearing aid?”

“I’m working on one – for others.” He replied. “As for me, I find that there are distinct advantages to being deaf. For one, it forces me to read, and reading beats the babble of ordinary conversation. For another, it helps me concentrate on my work and spend less time answering foolish questions. Deafness allowed me to work with less distraction and to sleep deeply, undisturbed by external sounds.”

Edison saw his deafness as an asset! “To invent, you need a good imagination, a pile of junk and some deafness.” He often said.

How is that for a powerful perspective. To invent, you need… some deafness.

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

As Thomas Edison did, we must diligently guide our hearts against the disempowering opinions of others about us. It takes courage to shun all discouragements in a bid to stay focused on our truest dreams. In order to reach our dreams, we must seek the strength to make clear decisions and to stand by them.

This article contains excerpts from the book Liberty Dancehouse.