Guard Your Ears

Would you book surgery with a doctor whose patients rarely survive? Take financial advice from someone filing for bankruptcy? Hire a driving instructor who’s totaled six cars this year?

Absurd, right?

Yet, every day, we hand the microphone to voices that haven’t earned it. We allow negative, fearful, and insecure voices to write the scripts of our lives.

Words have weight. They’re never neutral.

I had a good friend in high school who looked like he stepped straight off an Olympic team. Bill was lean, strong, built like an athlete, but carried words that weren’t his own. His father, a former athlete himself, tried motivating Bill by constantly pointing out how slow he was. His father was well-intended, but instead of fueling improvement, he planted seeds of doubt.

Every PE class, Bill would shake his head and repeat the same script: “I can’t run.” “I’m terrible at sports.” “I’ll never be fast.”

He heard and said the words so often that he believed them.

Then coach stepped in. Every day, patiently countering the lies. “You have the makings of a great runner.” “I see something you can’t see yet.” “Trust me, you can do this.”

Instead of negativity, the coach started to teach him how to improve. Strength training, posture, and interval training.

Slowly, the voices of doubt faded. And when belief took root, the results astonished everyone, including Bill.

By junior year, he stood on a podium, gold medal around his neck, a state champion runner.

Words spoken become seeds planted. Who you listen to matters. Who you believe matters even more.

Guard your ears. Choose your storytellers carefully. Because the voice you trust today shapes the life you live tomorrow.

If this encouraged you, would you share it with one friend who might need it too?

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