Public opinion: You cannot buy it all

“Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair” - George Burns. It’s said that the cheapest commodity in this world is a person’s opinion because everyone has a truckload to give away. The sad part that fuels this phenomenon is that it’s free, and, unfortunately, most of it is worth its weight in rubbish. Every Douglas, Ivan, and Joan has something to say. You can’t stop people from giving opinions, but you sure can choose how to deal with them. Here’s the bottom line. You are in control. You choose whether to accept those opinions or not. You choose whether you let what I am writing affect you, and you choose whether Ivan’s criticisms make you feel down and out. You choose whether what Pamella thinks of you affects how you do your business. Always consider this-if those people giving you their opinions don’t have what you want or aren’t where you want to be, then why should you accept their opinions? Just think about it. Why take their opinion if that’s all they are giving away? Someone might think that it’s a good idea for you to jump off a cliff, but would you do it? Supermarkets are great at strategically displaying thousands of products, all to tempt you to pick them up off the shelves. Let me ask you, how many times have you fallen for this marketing ploy? How many times have you ended up buying things that were not on your shopping list, things that you had no intention of buying? Those products did not just jump off the shelf and into your shopping basket. Those who are on a strict budget and those who are serious about going in and getting out are usually the best at avoiding this trap. They simply go in, buy what they come for, and leave--mission accomplished. Our lives are like going through a supermarket. It’s filled with people’s opinions. It’s completely up to you what ends up in your basket, which will determine what you take through the checkout with you. Successful people have mastered the art of being able to keep opinions shelved with the owners. They only listen to the right people in the right field. Just because someone has an opinion doesn’t mean you have to buy it. Successful people are good at becoming unaffected by opinions, good or bad. They go with what they have set out to do. They keep to their shopping list.We can’t help how many opinions are made available to us, especially in this day and age. When each person seems to want to offload a dozen opinions at a time, we have the choice to buy into their opinions or let them slip away at the same speed that they come toward us. Fear and personal limitations rule most people’s realities. People give you their opinions based on their own fears. They will talk you out of an idea or a venture you might be planning. They are unable to see what you see. They will have their own set of limitations. Unfortunately, these people are often those who are the closest to you. They don’t really want to do you harm, but in most instances, they have absolutely no clue about what they are talking about. If they did, they would be doing something more active with their lives rather than giving their opinion. badthoglous@yahoo.com Emmanuel Nyagapfizi is a Management Information Systems manager