Nobody likes being bullied.
Somehow, though, lots of us allow ourselves to be bullied all through our adult life.
What about in your case? Who bullies you?
Your spouse? Your boss? Your mother/father/siblings?
For some of us, the answer is obvious (like the examples I just gave you)… and for others it is more subtle – and dangerous.
A lot of us are bullied by the voices in our own head.
I'm not talking crazy-town voices, here. I'm talking about the voices of fear, criticism, and self-doubt. The voices that stop you from reaching your dreams.
“You've never succeeded before,” those voices say, “What makes you think this time will be any different?”
Or they might say, “Nobody has ever done that before. Who are you to try it?”
Or even, “Everything in your life has gone wrong. That is never going to change.”
Where do those voices come from, anyway? Who IS that in your head?
Right.
It's you.
Re-playing old lines that have virtually no meaning in your current situation.
Or, even worse, functioning as “negative affirmations”.
Bullying yourself. That's what you're doing.
Would you like to punch that bully in the nose, so they never bother you again? It's simple to do. Just do the thing you're afraid of – even while you're still afraid of it.
That's what Steve Jobs did when he launched the iPhone.
Not only was it NOT a “sure thing” when Apple launched “a new cell phone”… lots of experts were calling it a big mistake. Saying the market was too competitive, Apple's phone was too expensive, and that people would never be willing to pay for such an overpriced toy that only operated on a second-rate carrier like AT&T.
But Steve didn't listen to all those voices. And he decided to prove them wrong.
Oh, sure, NOW it seems obvious that iPhone would be a winner. But it was far from obvious before Steve had the courage to punch the bullies in the nose.
Apple just launched the newest version of its phone – iPhone 4 – and even in pre-order it was a resounding success. (By the way, there's a great analysis of Apple's latest launch here:
http://www.tier23.com/track/go.php?c=pla
It's a great little video breakdown of why it worked so well. Watch it for valuable lessons.)
Time to punch your own bully in the nose.
Whether it's your own voice, or someone else's – it's time to strike back.
What is it you would be doing if you stopped listening to the voices that tell you it can't be done?
Seriously think about that question until you have an answer.
Then go do that thing. Take one action – the next physical action in the process – that gets you started on that new path.
And celebrate.
Because you just bloodied the bully's nose.