[Image credit: the path traveler]

We are all apt to believe what the world believes about us.
~ George Eliot

To some, the world consists of the family we’re born into.  To others, it extends to the classroom or the boardroom or a myriad of places in between.  Many young people grow up thinking they’re not smart enough or good enough; they’re too shy or outspoken, or will never amount to much.  If you hear something enough times, the words can seep under your skin until you believe each one — good or bad — to be true with every fiber of your being.  And as Eliot states, if you believe it, you’re apt to become it.  It is especially hard to break out of a negative mindset that has taken years or maybe just a few months to form.  This only goes to show how important it is to surround ourselves with people who encourage and enrich our lives, rather than discourage and nullify.  It isn’t so much how we feel about the next person; it’s how they make us feel about ourselves.  So even though we can’t pick our family, we can pick many of those who make up our world.

What does your world believe about you?