I’ve got voices in my head. You probably do too. Many of my voices put me down. They say things like: “You don’t have the discipline to pull that off” or “You failed the last time you tried that” or “You don’t really have what it takes.” Some of these voices I recognize—bosses, teachers, parents, friends. Now, to be fair, none of them actually said those things to me. They’re more like recurring extrapolations of the displeasure I’ve sensed from them on memorable occasions. During the height of the Internet bubble, for instance, I remember one business advisor saying to me in passing, “If you haven’t come up with a winning product idea by now, you probably won’t.” Ouch. That one struck hard. And still does. These are my ANTs—Automatic Negative Thoughts. They usually spring to life the instant I contemplate doing something I’ve not tried before. Acquiescence feeds them. Courageous confidence defeats them. Today I think I’ll set out some nice ANT traps. Care to join me?

Your thoughts? What are some of the ANTs that might be robbing your confidence?

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There has never been a shortage of critics. From Monday morning quarterbacks to political pundits, opinion on how others play their game is manifold. And the greater the cause, the more criticism it attracts. Jesus promised those who follow His great Cause would face criticism of the harshest kind (Luke 21:12). So it is with anything great that we attempt. The only way to silence our critics is to live a small and obscure life.

Your thoughts? What pursuit have you undertaken that’s been worth any possible critique?

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