No More Shyness

Pastor Steven Furtick had a blog to spread his gospel.  He was a modern up to the minute type of pastor.  However, he got addicted to reading about himself (on Technorati).   He found some negative posts about himself and this put him into a tizzy.  So he decided end his blogging days. 

Direct from Steven Furticks blog….

 “See, I have a strict policy about not reading the negative critical emails that come in around here.

All emails sent to me are screened.

FOR EXAMPLE: An email calling me cocky and arrogant would get deleted, probably before even being read in its entirety.

However, I’m ashamed to say that recently I found a loophole in my own system.
It’s called Technorati. The way I understand it, it’s a search engine for blogs. I do know that it allows me to see what others are saying about me and my blog with up to the hour accuracy.

I got addicted to it 2 weeks ago. Today my detox begins.
I refuse to ride the roller coaster.
For every 10 guys with blogs who think I’m a hero, another guy thinks I’m the anti-Christ.
And the more God elevates the influence of Elevation, the more dangerous and nauseating the roller coaster will become. So I’ve decided to bail.”

If you are shy are you bailing?  Have you decided to screen messages? 

Negative statements are different than criticism.  Negative statements can be hurtful but there can also be a grain of truth in them.  While criticism can also be hurtful the intention is not to hurt someone. 

Perhaps it is time for you to listen to what people are saying to you.  Perhaps if you may feel hurt by what they say but what if they are telling you something important about yourself?  Maybe feeling hurt is your screening method.  You feel hurt therefore you don’t have to listen anymore. 

You have screened out something you find negative but you may have also screened out something valuable. 

Overcoming and dealing with shyness is a battle.  It is your personal struggle.  You are already down on yourself.  Why hear more downers?  Maybe it is not a downer you are hearing and reacting to.  Maybe it is your own frustration that you are sensing in these messages. 

Don’t repress your thoughts.  Don’t screen them out.  Check them out.  Take a step back and look at the message in a detached way.  Look for the value and what you can implement from the message. 

Don’t insulate yourself.  You are an expert at that.  Start to become more open.  Start removing judgement from the messages you hear.  Just observe them. 

See what happens when you stop being a screener. 

Marcia, Your Confidence Coach

PS Browse my website.