By Whitney Ngati
In today’s world, everyone seems to have an opinion, whether it’s positive or negative. But what is the beauty of letting your results speak for themselves? One of the main benefits is avoiding unnecessary opinions. When your dreams are big enough, they might scare not only others but also yourself. As Ellen Johnson Sirleaf once said, “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.”
Pursuing big dreams often invites discouragement or underestimation from others, and sometimes, without realizing it, you may absorb that negativity. If you’re planning something significant, it’s often wise to stay quiet about it. Sharing your plans too early can lead to anxiety because you start worrying about what others will think if things don’t go as planned. Questions like, “What if it doesn’t work out as I expected? What will I tell people? How will I feel if it fails?” can weigh heavily on your mind.
Silence can be your best strategy. By keeping your plans to yourself, you are the only one who truly understands your journey. If things don’t go as planned, you’ll find it easier to accept the outcome because you didn’t announce it to the world.
On the other hand, if things turn out perfectly, those who underestimated you will be silenced. As they say, the best revenge is to become what people never expected you to be. Instead of feeling discouraged by underestimation, use it as motivation. When someone underestimates you, it’s easy to feel down, but the best response is to prove them wrong with your success.
If someone believes you can’t achieve something based on their perception of you, that’s their problem. Let them hold onto their beliefs. You know yourself better, and you have no obligation to change their perception. What matters is using their doubts as a stepping stone and refusing to be defined by negative opinions.
Letting your results speak for themselves not only shields you from unnecessary negativity but also gives you the satisfaction of proving your worth through action rather than words.