I love this quote by Dr Zeus:
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”— Dr. Seuss
But it’s hard, to turn off the wonderings or concerns about what other people think of you or the choices you’re making. I know I worry about what people think, some days and times more than others. I’ve tried to teach myself over time that it doesn’t matter, as long as I’m not hurting anyone, the decisions I make in life are mine to make.
The main practice that I find helpful at these times is to remember what Brené Brown refers to as ‘common humanity’. Every single person in the world has concerns of their own, we are never alone with our fears or worries, we are all made of the same stuff.
When I think of myself as part of a common humanity I feel like I stand alongside others, rather than opposite them. At our deepest level we are all alike. Things like facebook and other social media platforms might encourage us to be in comparison, but if we were to stand side by side and speak authentically about who we are and how we feel I think we’d see we are almost a mirror of each other.
It reminds me of the Jo Cox quote:
‘…we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than the things that divide us.’
So if you’re feeling concerned about what someone thinks about you, take some time to figure out on what level you are actually alike, whether you feel the same fear, or fight against the same injustice, or like the same music… Finding a connection with that person can outshine any perceived negativity.
Sending love, Hannah
PS. Don’t forget our retreat! We’ve space left for you 😉
*Image by Matt Heaton www.unsplash.com