Don’t Let People’s Perceptions Of You Block Your Happiness
I have a friend who always shrinks when he hears someone doesn’t like him. He’s caught up with outside appearances and what everyone else thinks about him, rather than building his image internally. It’s a common problem, but a person should get past it if he wants to be successful in life and in his personal and social relationships. Life is tough enough without caring what somebody projects onto us. Does he even know who we are?
How are we supposed to shape, grow, or learn anything from someone else’s perspective on us? Let’s say your roommate has a low opinion of you because of how he perceives some of your actions. He resents the money you have in your bank and the way you disregard his opinions. So is that his problem or yours?
You see, if we shape ourselves by what others think of us we become something we either didn’t want to be in the first place or lost in a way that takes years to get back to ourselves. We let outsiders dictate our feelings about life. How messed up does that sound?
We need to step out from underneath this heat-lamp and know that anyone can have an opinion of us, good or bad, but that that doesn’t mean that we have to be influenced by that opinion or perspective. We forge our path into the future, not based on someone’s preconceived ideas about the right and wrong things we should do. We figure that out for ourselves.
And most of the time we don’t know what other people think about us in the first place. It’s usually our insecurities being projected onto them. They might be indifferent to us! Think about it. How many times have you done something that you’ve never done before, even after thinking it wouldn’t work. You fought through the fear and counquered it. We are not mind readers. We need to stop thinking so much about what others think about us, and worry more about what we think about ourselves.
Tatyana Mischova offers relationship advice to people with these types of issues. She works in internet marketing and makes money with furminator sites, while working in the self-help industry at the same time.
No part of this article is intended to serve as medical or health advice and should not be considered as such.
Filed Under: Contributors
