What Are You Agreeing to, Grads?

Once in a while something will happen that will get me frustrated a bit.  This past week I had two situations where I had volunteered to do something, and in the end I was essentially told that my help wasn't required.  In both instances, I had spent time preparing for my involvement (either preparing to speak or perform), so it was a bit of a let down to be effectively 'turned down.'  When situations like this happen to me, I find it easy to get stuck in a spiral of 'agreeing' to negative thoughts, like:
- I'm a nobody, I don't count
- I'm being marginalized and pushed to the side
- Maybe I don't matter...

What I do with these thoughts makes all the difference.  If I choose to 'agree' with them, throw a little pity party and think 'Yeah, that must be it.  I don't really make a difference, I don't count',  it leads no where good or productive.  A dead end.

An agreement is defined as 'harmony or accordance in opinion or feeling.'  I might have felt that way about my situation, but it is a bad thing for me to agree in my mind to the statement that 'I am a nobody and I don't count.'  What I think and what I say (even just to myself) has more influence than we can imagine.  Please be very wary and careful about the thoughts that you decide to 'agree' with.