Stubbornness has all sorts of negative associations. When you think of a stubborn person, it’s rarely someone pleasant to be around.
But that’s not entirely fair.
After all, there are plenty of times when stubbornness is fine – even great.
For example, any time you’re right about something important.
Sometimes it pays to stick to your guns.
Being right isn’t enough – even then, you’d spend all day fighting for your truth. It has to matter as well, otherwise you’re just being…
Well, stubborn.
And this can dismantle your affirmations and the results you’d otherwise enjoy.
This particular trap won’t hit you fast. It’ll sneak up on you, probably when you’re further down the journey.
Maybe it’ll be months after you start, who knows.
And suddenly you find yourself following a path that doesn’t make sense anymore.
If I’m talking too vaguely for your tastes, let’s dust off an example:
Say you write your affirmations to become more wealthy?
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 kids. Or you know life is short and you want more opportunities – for investment, for travel, for learning… for simply living.
That’s a beautiful vision.
What sometimes happens, though, is your means defeat your dreams.
Maybe you start a business to attract that sort of money.
And maybe it starts working. You quickly break even, then you start turning a tasty profit.
Success!
Right… ?
Except you start working harder. The business takes more of your time, energy and focus.
Suddenly you’re trapped in this new job, except you don’t have a boss to blame anymore.
At that stage, you have a decision to make:
Do you rethink your affirmations?
Or do you rethink your career?
Stubbornness would compel you to stick with it. And who knows, maybe that’s the right call. But it sure seems to go against everything you wanted when you started this endeavour.
Money’s the easy example, but it happens with relationships too. You can pour so much attention into a relationship that you smother it – the exact opposite of what you wanted.
And you can exercise to look and feel better… only to hurt yourself and look haggard from overdoing it.
Knowing when – and how – to rethink things is a skill.
Without it, you have to be extra careful when designing and following your affirmations. The tiniest mistake can send you down the wrong path.
Despite what the clichés say, quitting can get you ahead… when you quit the wrong path and rediscover the right one.