Day 2 of 7 Days of Inspirational Quotes
“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” —Ayn Rand
So many times in my life I have been in a situation where I have asked myself, “Can I do this?” or “Will they let me do this?” They could be anyone- the powers that be, a boss, or even my peers. The honest truth is that I am really questioning myself. Do I think I can do it? Am I smart enough? Do I believe in my abilities? I mean it’s completely normal to have self-doubts now and then. We all do. We ask ourselves if we might be biting off more than we can chew, or if perhaps we aren’t qualified to tackle something. Maybe we should just leave it to someone else. In some cases, that’s perfectly correct. You wouldn’t try to repair your car’s engine if you had no mechanical expertise. That’s logical. No, what I’m talking about is constantly doubting yourself; lacking that confidence in your ability to succeed. Who is really hindering you but yourself?
Today’s quote ties in with Day 1’s quote. It’s all about believing in you. Ayn Rand was a Russian philosopher and novelist. She wrote the book, “Atlas Shrugged” and others, but she is known for her philosophy on Objectivism. I could describe Objectivism as not settling, or expecting better than what you have, but she describes it best:
“My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.”
After reading that, you see why she said “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” I believe that she is telling us to go for the gusto, do all that you can, be all that you can. Don’t let what others think of you or your ability cause you to question yourself. If you truly believe in yourself, who can stop you from succeeding? The only person you are responsible for making happy is you. You decide what your limits are, not someone else.
We each have a God-given right to be all that we can be, and only we (each of us) can determine what that means, and how we can achieve it. We owe it to ourselves to make the very most of this life we have, to fulfill our dreams, to achieve the best possible quality of life, regardless of the situation we were born into. It will take hard work, but that is what we must strive for, not hurting anyone else in the process. Build your self-esteem by achieving those goals through hard work.
I like to think of Ayn Rand as a woman who was way before her time. She knew from experience that just because you were born into a situation, or grew up in a certain way, it didn’t mean you were destined to remain there. I’m definitely not a great philosopher, nor have I come up with any great words people will remember, but I do know for sure that YOU are the captain of your life. Your journey is to be happy, succeed, and your purpose is make that happen, without anyone stopping you. Don’t be your own stumbling block to your success!
Tami Loves…celebrating everyone’s life purpose, dreams, and successes!
