subject: Is it really that important what others think about you? [print this page] Is it really that important what others think about you?
We all have our own perception of reality and how we see others is not how they really are. How we see others is just a reflection of how we see ourselves. I think we know this already on an intellectual level but if we truly believed it on a personal level then we would not judge others on how they live their lives. This also means we would not take much notice on how others see ourselves.
Through social conditioning we tend to put too much emphasis on other people's opinions of us which in turn takes away from our own personal power. Be honest, how many times have you tried to impose your opinions onto another person and lost your cool if they didn't see things your way. The reality is that you see the world through a different lens than everyone else simply because you have your own preconceived judgments on how the world really is.
If you meet a person you hardly know on the street one day and s/he calls you an idiot, how would you react? would you react in the same manner? It is how you react that determines how you really see yourself. Just because someone calls you an idiot doesn't make it true. If you accept what that person says about you as true, well then it is true, and you have just given away your personal power. The fact is that nobody knows who you truly are, every person you meet is dealing with their own beliefs and opinions and how they see you is merely an interpretation based on their own life story.
Never take what anyone says about you to the heart, whether it is good or bad. If you accept it as true when a person tells you how great you are then you may as well take it as true if a person tells you how horrible you are. What you believe about yourself becomes the truth only when you accept it as so. This is not an easy exercise to master but I guarantee that if you persist you will get to a time when you finally realize that it is fear that keeps you trapped within your social conditioning and not accepting other people's opinions over your own is what respecting your true self is all about.
When you care what other people think about you, you leave yourself open to be hurt. You cannot control what is outside of yourself. Take full responsibility for how you think and act and never rely on others opinions to change how you feel about yourself. When you are being an idiot, you already know, when you are being unkind, you already know. Taking full responsibility for how you think and act means you are in control. Nobody spends more time with you than you. You are the creator of the good in your life as well as the bad. Your opinion of yourself is the only opinion that truly matters.
Thank-you for taking the time to read this post and if you have any feedback related to any of my articles it would be really appreciated. Have a wonderful and productive day.
