Not Everyone Will Like You...

... and that's okay.

One of the best lessons I wished to have not learned the hard way in the School of Hard Knocks or University of Life is dealing with rejection or the fear of not being accepted by others.

I think that at some point in our lives, we all have that desire to be liked or respected because we are human beings, wired to care and be social, hence the need for connection and the longing for acceptance is most likely present in us one way or another.

The bad thing when letting the fear of rejection set in is that it produces domino effects. When that fear lurks in, every other negative emotions come out, re: overthinking which leads to a lot of "what ifs" which most likely will cause sadness, anger, stress, anxiety, low self-esteem and even depression.

Of course, we can avoid all these when we understand that just as we don't get to like every person we meet, not every single soul will like us too and it's absolutely okay.

This is the one thing that I often emphasize to my kids (nephews and nieces) whether we are spending time together or on our regular chats, hoping they will grasp it early on and they would know how to filter the noise around them.

I wish them to learn and understand that what they think and believe of themselves are what matters the most and that they hold the key to their own happiness. That they should not give a damn about other people's opinions about them and that the important thing is for them to be true to themselves, to listen to their own hearts, have fun, live their lives the way they know best and do what makes them happy.

"The day you stop caring what other people think of you is the day your life begins" - Aaron Eckhart

There's so much truth to Aaron's words. Often times we fail to realize that we hold the power that sets us free from this kind of bandage that society or life throw at us. I sincerely hope that the younger generation will get to learn this much sooner especially that at this day and age, opinions are free and they float almost everywhere.