The desire to get people to like me motivated the majority of my choices and actions when I was younger. I spent many years of my life seeking approval from others. To be completely honest with you, sometimes, I still fall back into this old, bad habit. But, these days, whenever I catch myself doing it, I take a deep breath and stop.
Seeking approval is exhausting. If someone doesn’t like me for the person I am, then that’s their problem, not mine. There’s nothing I can do about it and I accept that.
I now understand that everyone will view me differently. Everything I do is viewed in different ways by different people. Focusing on becoming the best version of myself rather than what other people may or may not think of me is a much better use of my time.
Like it says at the top in the sidebar of this blog, much like the first draft of a novel, I’m a work in progress. George Bernard Shaw ever so wisely said, “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” Those are good words to live by.