“WHAT DO OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF ME?”

This week brought about another opportunity to speak with an incredible group of local women (thanks to my dear friend from college). We talked about MANY things but one that stood out to me was a thought that many of us struggle with on the daily... What do other people think of me? It’s a common thought. A very common, very human thought. So what do we do about it when we have it?! 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

I’m sure some of you may have heard the notion “Other people’s opinions of me are none of my business.” I agree with that to a point but before we dismiss the thought, I think we need to ask ourselves a question. “Does this person know my true heart?” If the answer is yes, then maybe you should listen to the feedback they are trying to send your way - because in the end we should care about what our best friend thinks of us, what our partner thinks of us, or what our kids think of us (just to name a few). Those people who truly know our heart matter and therefore their opinions matter. Now - YOU get to decide what you do with that feedback but I think LISTENING to it and taking the time to at least reflect on it IS our business. 

If the answer is “No. (Insert name here) doesn’t truly know my heart”... then I kindly ask you to remember this oh so powerful quote: “People are unhappy because 99.9% of their thoughts are about themselves.” ~R. Siegal 

Bottom line - (Insert name here) isn’t thinking about us for more than .1% of their time anyway (if at all), so let our concern/assumption about what they may or may not think of us be as fleeting as their thoughts of us actually are in all reality.