There is a longstanding fable about an old man who was traveling with a child and a donkey. As they passed through the first village, the man led the donkey and the child walked behind. The villagers said the old man was a fool for not riding his sturdy donkey. So, seeking to please the crowd, he climbed on.

In the next village, people said the old man was cruel for enjoying the ride and making the child walk. So, the man got off and put the child on the donkey.

In the third village, people said the child was lazy for forcing the old man to walk, so they both got on and rode.

In the fourth village, the onlookers said the poor donkey was overworked. The old man was last seen carrying the donkey down the road!

This silly fable carries a simple truth: Your life isn’t yours if you constantly care what others think. The reality is that criticism is inevitable. You will never make everyone happy. There will always be whiners and complainers; those people sitting in the stands pointing fingers at the ones in the arena.

Incidentally, it’s not just external critics. As you well know, our internal critic can often become our greatest detractor. Some of the most dangerous words in the English language are, “What will people say?” or “What will people think?”. These words, often uttered silently in our head, have the potential of keeping us from achieving our dreams or reaching our God-given potential.