Intelligence Is Ignoring Things That Don’t Matter

Winston Churchill once said that no one will reach his fate if he spends all day throwing stones at the dogs that bark at him. Sometimes it’s intelligence to ignore the things you can’t change. Intelligence also means getting rid of things that just aren’t worth it.

But how do you know when something is worth it and when it isn’t? This is knowledge that we should all value. Every situation is unique and personal.

What is holding back your personal growth?

For some people, criticism and negative people are the problem. While others may have difficulty letting go of their personal fears and limiting beliefs.

In this article we invite you to reflect on this important topic of personal growth.

Intelligence

Knowing when to confront things that keep us from moving forward and when to let them go.

The art of intelligently ignoring

Intelligent ignoring is an art form, a subtle wise and mature act. What is really important, however, we should never ignore:

• The people who love us and stimulate our personal growth.
• Certain aspects of ourselves, such as our talents that bring us closer to achieving our dreams and goals.
• The needs of those under our responsibility.

Now let’s look at a few strategies that can help you put some of the components that make up the art of ignoring into practice.

Our biggest mistake is ‘postponing’ happiness

An intriguing article published in Psychology Today argued that many people miss opportunities because they don’t think it’s the right time.

Why are we so often convinced that ‘now is not the right time’?

• The comments and criticisms of others. For example: you are not happy in your marriage, but your parents keep telling you to ‘ look at it again ‘.

• Going along because we are afraid to disappoint others and even believe that things will change on their own and that happiness will appear overnight if we just stick with it for a while.

Happiness should never be delayed.

If your heart and mind are telling you something isn’t right, it’s time to ignore anything else that tells you it’s okay.  This takes courage.

Ignore criticism and hurtful comments

At first, it may seem pretty easy to ignore criticism and hurtful comments. While in reality it requires quite a lot of effort, because it directly affects our self-confidence.

• The negative comments that affect us the most are those that come from the people we care about.
• “How can I ignore the things my relative, husband or best friend has said?” To be very clear: the people who love you support your happiness and respect you.
• Anyone who truly cares about you would never create barriers to hinder your personal growth, damage your confidence, or belittle you with subtle sarcastic comments or words loaded with contempt.

In situations like this, ignoring the negative behavior of others is the most intelligent thing you can do.

It takes courage to become aware of beliefs that limit you

In some cases, our worst enemy exists only in our heads: some limiting attitudes or beliefs that we carry with us from childhood or that we have inherited from other people cause us to believe things like ‘ I don’t know how’ or ‘ I can not do it’.

• Sometimes a lack of self-confidence can leave us lacking the courage to ignore people, situations, and things that harm us rather than bring us happiness.
• Personal insecurity is also a reason that often puts us in a dilemma. For example, you may never dare to turn down an invitation to an event you really don’t want to go to because you can’t ignore the fear of coming across as bad.

These are just a few small examples that, when they pile up, can become a central theme in our lives,  subjecting us to what others have to say about our desires.  This is of course not good at all.

Personal courage

Learning to ignore the things that don’t matter also shows personal courage. It is based on the belief that to be happy we have to take the chance and just say ‘NO’.