Stubbornness has all sorts of negative associations. When you think of a stubborn person, they are rarely someone nice to be around.
But that’s not entirely fair.
After all, there are plenty of times when stubbornness is okay, even great.
For example, every time you are right about something important.
Sometimes it pays to stick to your guns.
Being right is not enough; even then, you would spend all day fighting for your truth. It has to matter too, otherwise you’re just being…
Well, stubborn.
And this can dismantle your claims and the results you would otherwise enjoy.
This particular trap will not hit you fast. It will sneak up on you, probably later in the journey.
It may be months after you start, who knows.
And suddenly you find yourself following a path that no longer makes sense.
If I’m speaking too loosely for your liking, let’s dust off an example:
You say you write your affirmations to get richer?
Why?
Well, why not, you say…
But seriously, maybe it’s because you’re sick of working yourself to the bone for someone else. Or you want a better life for your children. Or you know that life is short and you want more opportunities: to invest, to travel, to learn… just to live.
That is a beautiful vision.
However, what sometimes happens is that your means defeat your dreams.
Maybe start a business to attract that kind of money.
And maybe it will start to work. You quickly break even, then start making a tasty profit.
Success!
Right…?
Except you start working harder. The business takes more of your time, energy and focus.
Suddenly you’re stuck in this new job, except you no longer have a boss to blame.
At that stage, you have to make a decision:
Do you reconsider your affirmations?
Or do you rethink your career?
Stubbornness would force you to continue with her. And who knows, maybe that’s the right decision. But it sure seems to go against everything you wanted when you started this endeavor.
Money is the easy example, but so are relationships. You can put so much attention into a relationship that it suffocates it, the exact opposite of what you wanted.
And you can exercise to look and feel better… only to get hurt and look gaunt from too much.
Knowing when and how to rethink things is a skill.
Without it, you have to be very careful when designing and following your affirmations. The slightest mistake can send you down the wrong path.
Despite what the clichés say, quitting smoking can get you going… when you leave the wrong path and rediscover the right one.