Human Opinion is Plastic

During my early twenties, I reached the conclusion that human opinion is plastic, in other words, it’s not something to build on.

Ultimately, what others think about you doesn’t really count as much as what you think about yourself.  It doesn’t matter who they are – spouses, children, parents, siblings, friends, well wishers, colleagues, critics, detractors, enemies and any other categories of people you might be able to come up with.  What they think about you does not matter as much as what you think about yourself.

If you are living your life to impress and please others, you are still a foolish slave who is in need of emancipation.

Harsh, huh? 
That’s because I want you to be free from human opinion. 
That’s what this blog is about, anyway.

To rate yourself on the basis of another’s estimation of you is the height of slavery and bondage.

Does your spouse think that you are not as beautiful and shapely as that model on TV?  That’s their privilege! Opinion is cheap and anyone can form theirs for all that it’s worth. But if you freak out and think less of yourself because of that opinion, yours is the greater silliness!

I’m personally convinced that the greatest freedom of all is the freedom from human opinion, the freedom to think your own thoughts and be your own self.

The trap…

The tragedy of this situation is that even those of us who might be inclined to think that we are free from this form of slavery might still be in it in some other less obvious ways.

For instance, when you accept an external definition of success without consulting your own inner values and uniqueness, you’ve fallen into the trap.

If you enjoyed a particular activity and helped add value to the life of another human being, but suddenly felt it was all worthless simply because you didn’t realize any immediate monetary profits, you’ve probably fallen victim to other people’s opinion.

WD Shock Therapy

When I was pastoring at the University of Nigeria, a student came to me crying because her result was so poor.  She cried to me in desperation, “this is my life!  This is my life!” I stared at her in shock and asked her, “What is your life?”
She threw her Statement of Result at me, “look at this,” she continued, “they gave me a poor pass.  Can I ever be able to get a job with this?  I’m finished!” 

I was so pissed off!  Yes, really really pissed off!! 

“That’s just a piece of paper!”I retorted, “and if all your life is worth is a piece of paper, then you really have no life at all!”  

It was now her turn to stare at me in shock.  The tears dried out from her eyes instantly.  I knew she couldn’t believe I’d talk to her like that.  She came to me expecting some ‘baby-sitting’ and to be ‘breast-fed’ some litres of sympathy, and rather than that, I gave her what my International Director calls the ‘WD Shock Therapy’!

Well, that did the job because I saw a flash of defiance in her countenance and instinctively knew my response had triggered off her innate determination to rise above the report on that scrap of paper.

Back then, I was already aware that the certificate from any academic institution is merely the opinion of other people – a board or committee of flawed humans!

Why would you use that to rate yourself or other people for that matter?

You are who you say you are!

I dropped out of the university in my third year and have no single ‘degree’ today.  Yet that hasn’t stopped me from becoming a Christian Pastor, Self-Discovery Coach, Leadership Consultant, International Conference Speaker, Multi-media evangelist, Chancellor of the Success Academy Nigeria, a Magazine publisher, a book author and so on!

No, you are who say you are, period!

Other people’s opinion about you do not matter as much as your personal opinion of yourself.

If past circumstances within or beyond your control resulted in your not having a scrap of paper signed by a bunch of flawed men, so be it!  But realize that the height you reach in life is not a function of that incident, but rather one of your own determination.

I pray that this brief post will inspire you to attain the awareness that human opinion is plastic.

Discover yourself!

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