One of the biggest mistakes that you can make is to spend your entire existence trying to please the people around you. You have to understand that it does not matter how kind you are, how much you sacrifice, and even how hard you try, there will still be someone who will misunderstand you, or who will criticise your actions, and they will believe that you should have done something differently. No matter how much action you put, and how hard you try, the truth remains that you cannot satisfy everyone, neither can you please all of them. Everyone's matter should not be a priority to you, you should also have a life of your own.
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One of the reasons why people try to please everyone around them is because of what people will say. Some people have even missed opportunities because of this singular reason. There are also some people who have abandoned their dreams simply because someone told them that they are not good enough. Some people also put themselves into difficult situations and undue tough times just because they do not want to disappoint someone. The fear of what people will say has kept a lot of people grounded in the same position, they do not make any move, they do not take any action, and just get themselves stagnated. What they fail to understand is that whether you do anything or not, people will still talk. So why don't you do something, and at least, give them what to talk about?
If you constantly live your life to please others, you will begin to lose touch of your own identity. Your existence will begin to revolve around what others want and not what you want. Even when you want to take decisions, you will only consider what people expect, not what aligns with your goals, dreams, goals, and aspirations. This might even make you to hide your own opinions so that you will not create disagreement, or because of the fear of misunderstanding. Imagine living a life that makes other people comfortable but at the expense of your own existence. You have to know that you are born to fulfill a purpose, not to meet people's expectations. You have your own goals, dreams, purpose, talents, and responsibilities which you should focus on.
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The truth remains that it is very impossible to please everyone. One of the realities of life is that people have different opinions, different values, tastes, expectations, interests, and demands. What you may consider a wise decision may look foolish in the perception of someone else. What someone may celebrate you for, another person may criticise you for the same thing. Even when you do the right thing, there are still some people that would find reasons to complain. This is why you do not have to measure success by what other people think of you. Your decision should be based on your values, and then consider the consequences and effects of the action. This does not mean that you should ignore people's advice, nor does it mean that you should become arrogant. Listen to genuine advice, so as to help you make better decisions.
You should also learn to set boundaries. In order to overcome the need to please everyone, you need to set healthy boundaries. It is not every request that you should accept, it is not every event that you should attend, it is not every opinion that you should have. There are times that a simple "no" will be what it will take for you to protect your time, your peace of mind, and even your resources. Learn to say "no" when it is necessary without feeling bad about it. Setting boundaries does not mean that you should not care about people, but it means that you have to manage yourself and your resources well. You can show goodness, you can be kind, but you should not be available to everyone at everytime. After all, you can be generous without sacrificing your entire existence, and without sacrificing everything that you have.
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