Are Other People’s Thoughts Stopping You from Living?

A deep reflection.

Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash

Lately, a particular question has been on my mind. How much am I letting others’ thoughts dictate my life? So often, we worry about what others think of us. We worry about what we look like, how we act, what we say, and the list goes on and on.

It can get to the point that we start to feel like we are on center stage for the world to see. Growing up, I was deeply concerned about what others thought of me. I felt like they were analyzing my every move. It caused me a lot of anxiety.

As I got older, I realized that this is not the case much of the time. Yes, there are people who do judge us, but we are overly critical of ourselves. We know everything about ourselves, and we feel others will notice too, but much of the time, they don’t.

I’ve learned that the fear of not being judged lessens when you are authentically you. When you are simply who you are, you realize which people are truly on your side. Your family and friends will love you for who you are. If they are not accepting of you or are overly critical of you, then they are not the best people to be in your life.

Would you rather be content and happy knowing you followed your dreams and goals in life, or wake up years down the line and regret not going for what you desired out of fear of what others thought of you?

I speak this advice to myself as well. I have let the fear of others control my thoughts and decisions. It’s a terrible feeling to let those things be the deciding factor. Think of how much happiness you could be losing out on.

I spent a lot of my life letting fear win, and I don’t want it to rule my life anymore. I want to reach for my goals and not be concerned about what other people think of me or what I’m doing or saying.

Do you have any stories about how you felt when you finally left fear behind to pursue your dreams?

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