It is important as you begin your life’s journey to success that you become an active listener. You will go through some of the hardest times in your life and if you share your goals with the wrong people it can delay your progress if you have not yet mastered the skill of self validation— which most of us are still struggling to do.

The Fakers:

Most people talk about the Haters, but are also people I tend to call the Fakers— there is a difference between the two. Fakers may be the closest to you and/or knew you before your transformation, they want you to succeed and will actually be happy if you did however they do not have the faith, confidence or belief in your abilities to accomplish your goals. Fakers will go along with your ideas and may even give you some of their own but in their head they are not on board or have negative thoughts about your capabilities to achieve success. They usually only become a problem if they share their true thoughts and feelings with another and it gets back to you. You can recognize them because the may make little comments that are so subtle you may miss it if you are not actively listening. The defining moment is when you actually start to achieve your goals, you will sense their shift of confidence in you as if they had no doubts and always knew you could do it. They are entitled to their views and opinions, however it is up to you to decide if they are worthy to partake in the benefits of your rewards.

Balancing the oxymoron:

Now is the time to be vigilant at learning how to become aware of who you keep in your circle. In order to keep moving forward you have to listen to everything going on around you while at the same time remain focused, motivated and on course. This is difficult to do because it is an oxymoron—requiring you to actively listen to people and your surroundings while focusing on achieving your goals—hence why geniuses are sometimes paranoid or delusional. Being successful is hard work and everything becomes a balancing act.

Bottom line up front:

The amount of people that you associate with will increase as your circle of friends decrease— your understanding and separation of the two helps deter disappointment and let downs. Actively listen to ensure you are aware of your opportunities and surroundings. Every intricate detail and decision that you make from this point forward will determine the speed of your success. Once you are aware of your surroundings, you become prepared to jump over the obstacles that you CAN see.

~Empower U