Let me tell you a story about a little boy called Sven. He was a late starter when it came to talking. This embarrassed Sven’s mum and when she was with others she gradually developed the habit of excusing Sven by saying, “Take no notice of Sven, he’s shy.”
Sven wasn’t naturally shy, but he heard the phrase almost every day as he was growing up: by his mid teens the message had taken hold in his subconscious and he ‘knew’ he was shy.
As I said, he wasn’t shy, he was naturally an active listener, a creative and innovative thinker with a questioning mind. His teachers also believed the myth, simply because he didn’t talk very much. “He’ll never amount to much - he’s too shy,” was often heard in the staff room.
However, he surprised them all and secured a place at Birmingham University where he quickly became respected for his views, opinions and novel ideas. Today, some 20 years later he is a world authority in his field and the 'shy' little boy is much in demand as an after dinner speaker - and he knows that his mum was wrong! #proteuscareermanagement #positiveattitude #subconscious #selfknowledge #selfawareness
