“Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner”
Lao Tzu
Not everyone will like you. Not everyone will accept or appreciate you for the wonderful human you are. I know, crazy, right? I mean, WTF? You’re an awesome person with a killer sense of humor who can make a mean apple pie and is hands down the best person to have on a Trivial Pursuit team. But the reality is, as amazing as you most certainly are, you can’t win em all…
You can be the most kind, considerate and understanding person in the world but that doesn’t mean you have to seek approval from everyone for everything you say, do, feel or think and even if you did, you’re most likely not going to get it. In fact, I’m willing to bet there have been and will continue to be lots of people who dislike you, criticize you and/or judge you. There might be times when you find some value in reflecting on those criticisms to determine if there’s something you might need to address in your behavior…if that criticism happens to come from a person you respect, love or admire. But even then, it’s ultimately up to you to determine the importance you give to those criticisms and what value, if any, they have in your life.
One of the most empowering things you can do for yourself is give others the freedom to dislike you. Allow others to disagree with your opinions or disapprove of your choices in life. Let go of the need you may have to seek the approval of everyone around you. I know, this can be such a challenge, especially in this social media driven society where we’re being inundated with programming that’s trying to convince our subconscious to “like” and be liked by everyone. But, what’s the alternative here? You could change something about yourself in the hopes of gaining their approval but chances are they’re just going to find something else to criticize or judge about you. But hey, let’s say you do win that person’s approval, someone else is going to come along and criticize or judge you again. It’s really a never ending mind fuck of a cycle that will only drive you farther and farther away from your authentic self and you living in alignment with your values and who you really want to be.
See, it’s not really about them, is it? What we’re really doing is recognizing that others don’t need your permission to dislike you because they’re going to do it whether you like it or not. But by letting go of the need to control what others think and do you’re able to find the freedom to express yourself however you like.
Can you imagine how liberating that would feel? Just imagine how much more peace and contentment you can have in your life by simply refusing to give a shit about what everyone thinks of you. What would you do with that kind of freedom? You could stop giving power to all the limiting beliefs that have been holding you back and start believing in yourself and your abilities. You could pursue your passions. You could share your gifts, your compassion and your creativity with the world. You could give yourself permission to be you, completely!!
Bottom line here is this…
What’s most important is whether YOU like you. Whether or not YOU accept and appreciate yourself and live in alignment with your truth. And anyone who doesn’t appreciate that…well that’s their loss. Let them worry about that. You got shit to do!!
Now go on out and DO IT!!