It’s completely human to care about what the people who we love think of us. We naturally want to be liked and accepted. Where things start to go off track is when we start listening to other people’s opinions over our own.
The truth is, what other people have to say about us can only affect us if we allow it to. We have the say in whether or not their opinion of us is valid. And just because they might see us a certain way, does not mean that it is true.
Let’s go back in time for a minute when you were a child, playing in your backyard. You did your own thing and you didn’t care what anyone thought. You were fully present and engaged in what you were doing.
As a child I felt like my life was limitless. I could be whoever I wanted to be, and I could do anything I wanted to do someday. I was definitely a weird child, but I knew deep in my soul that I was born to stand out from the norm. I didn’t care what anyone thought of me or who they thought I should be.
But as I got older, other people’s opinions infiltrated my heart and mind. And it happened slowly. And before I knew it, I lost sight of who I was because I was so busy trying to manage what other people thought of me. Don’t let this happen to you.
Remember that the people who continuously attack your self-esteem and confidence are quite aware of your potential, even if you are not. For them, it feels better to focus on tearing you down, rather than work on themselves and feel better about how they see themselves.
