The world doesn’t make it easy to be yourself. It seems like everywhere you look, there’s someone ready to judge you for who you are, what you like, the way you dress, how much you weigh… the list goes on and on. But there’s no use spending the rest of your life pretending to be someone you’re not or dulling your shine just because not everyone will “get” it (or you). Here’s how to stop caring about what people think and live authentically.
- Get your head out of your own butt. One of the biggest mistakes we all make in life is being so self-centered that we’re convinced that everyone cares about what we’re doing 24/7 or has any thoughts or feelings about it at all. Chances are, they don’t. Everyone has their own stuff going on and they’re wrapped up in their own lives – they’re not really worried about you most of the time. The best way to stop caring about what people think is to accept that they’re likely not thinking about you at all.
- Recognize your value isn’t dependent on other people’s opinions. It’s important to cultivate a sense of self-worth that’s so strong that no one else can tear it down. It doesn’t matter if there’s not a single other person on the planet who approves of how you’re living your life. At the end of the day, what anyone else thinks doesn’t matter. It’s what you think about yourself that’s important.
- Stop letting people you don’t know live rent-free in your mind. It’s so important to stop caring about what other people think largely because they aren’t involved in your life in any way. Why are you letting people who don’t pay your bills, bring you happiness, or even know you in the slightest determine how you live your life? You’re wasting so much time and energy on people who really don’t matter. Not only that, but even if you’re worried about what your best friend, parents, or sister thinks, they’re not you and they’re not living your life.
- Focus on number one. To stop worrying about what people think about you, you have to change your focus on life to yourself. What do you want to do? How do you want to dress, where do you want to live, who do you want to date? The most important person to impress is you. If you spend your time working on building a life that makes you proud, nothing that anyone else says or thinks matters.
- Stop being so judgmental about other people. Part of the reason many of us are obsessed with what other people may or may not be thinking about us is that we know the things we think about other people. Not everyone is the same, of course, and chances are your negative thoughts about others are fleeting and not that deep, but it’s still the perfect time to change it. If you want to stop caring about what other people think about you, you have to stop judging other people as well. When you accept that other people’s lives aren’t really your business in any meaningful way, you’ll find it much easier to move on and focus on doing your own thing.
- Find your tribe and stick with them. Having a supportive group of friends around you makes it so much easier to stop caring what other people think because you’ll know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the people in life who matter to you will love and support you no matter what. That’s what matters, right?
