You are the teen who has been trying unsuccessfully to learn swimming because your parents want you to; each time you force yourself into the waters, you secretly wish you had been allowed to pursue painting. Could you have been the next Vinci?
You dress up in a certain way or behave in a certain way because the society approves of it, but sometimes you wish you could run barefoot on the beach and enjoy an ice cream while it drips all the way down your chin.
You almost kill yourself going on a diet so that your friends approve of you, but you would rather be fit rather than a ridiculous size zero. You love to paint your hair burgundy but what would the neighbors think? You’d love to take that family vacation, but would the boss think you aren’t serious about your career?
Does any of the above sound like you? Well, you aren’t alone!
You have been practically living every moment trying to please someone. But living life the way others want you to, isn’t bringing you any happiness, is it? Have you ever wondered how often we live our life according to how other people want us to? We worry perpetually about what others will think, what they will say, how they will react, and in the end, we realise, it really wasn’t worth it. But by then, it is probably too late!
While we are doing things that don’t mean anything to us, but just because others want us to, our life just passes by, and in the bargain, and we remain a mute spectator of our own life!
Should the expectations of other people matter so much to us? Is it so important to score in the eyes of other people? Why do our actions have to be guided by what the boss thinks, what the neighbours think, or what the friends think? How long are we going to be scared of doing things that we feel might not have other people’s approval? Is it worth our time and effort to benchmark ourselves based on the reactions of people?
Don’t you think we should stand up for what we want? Don’t worry about what other people think or whether you will be accepted if you are different. What I think is infinitely more important than What they think.
Sometimes, we fear failure. We are afraid of what you call, the ‘I told you so’ phenomenon. People are quick to say that! We think people know what we want, more than we do!
Sure, you might fail, you might fall short, you might lose some friends, maybe a job, but remember, that people who really love you and respect you, will stick by you no matter what. So, trust your judgement. And when in doubt, dial your gut! Only you know what is best for you.Life is too short to spend it worrying about how other people perceive you.
