We can spend so much time in our waking hours hoping that other people think well of us. Or worry even more about others not liking or approving of us. Somehow or other, most of us get caught up to varying degrees in the need to be approved of by others. I guess it's understandable in some way, why we might want to have those we are close to think well of us. But this often extends out- way way out, where the opinion of a complete stranger, someone we may never see again, also matters. What would your life be like, if you decided once and for all, that other's opinions of you really do not matter? That what other people think of you really is none of your business? Their thoughts are theirs- not yours.

You can really wind up with a major head-ache, if you spend too much time worrying about what other people think of you. Because the reality is that only some people will approve of us, or like us at any one time. And even the people doing the liking, are likely to change on a day by day basis, for reasons that are completely unknown to you- and  are probably unknown to them too, if the truth be known.

Everyone sees the world through slightly different lenses- and that is OK. It's as it should be. We are all unique with our own views and opinions. But this means that everyone else is going to see us in a slightly different way also. This of course means that at any one time, there will be a whole raft of opinions floating around us (mostly silent, we hope). Some  of these will see us as being the greatest human being to walk on the planet, whilst other opinions may even deem us to be a complete and utter waste of space. And most of the other people's opinions will be somewhere in between. 

We can't please everybody- because everyone everyone everyone will expect something slightly different of us. If you think about it, you can probably pick out those people who get caught up in trying to continually please everyone else, so easily worried about what  everyone else will think well of them. They usually agree with everyone else's contrasting opinions. They avoid all forms of conflict (because we all know that conflict is such a terrible terrible thing.......), and they have no real ideas, as they value the  opinions of others more highly than they value their own.

So it makes a lot of sense to allow ourselves to not be too influenced by what others think of us. Because everyone will have a slightly different view of us. So that in itself makes it impossible to have everyone like us. In the end the opinion that matters the most, the person whose ideas are the most useful to you, and whose approval you need more than anyone else on the planet, can be found lurking in your bathroom. Beaming out at you from that glass reflective thingy above the hand-basin. Wipe the steam off the glass, look them in the eye and tell them what a champ they are....

Jump right over here to read three important points for being true to yourself