Day 5: It's none of my business what other people say or think of me

​Seeking approval from family, friends and people we may not even know is one of the biggest drains of our energy.  It can become all consuming worrying about what others think or say about us.  It is even possible to base our happiness on having the approval of others...

This can begin at a young age.  Often as children we can seek validation from people around us; teachers, friends, family and this can come at the price of withholding our true selves.  This can be truly exhausting as we often spend so much time doing and saying what we think we should for others to avoid the fear of judgement.  

There are always going to be people who no matter what you do or how you act will still be in a state of negativity and some people can never be satisfied..... ever.  This is not about you, it is about them.  We all have a unique set of beliefs, perceptions, experiences which all lead to different conditioning but when people step out to say negative things about others, this is reflection of themselves. 

A true state of freedom comes from no longer seeking the approval of others.  We must make peace with the fact that there will always be people who don't align with our ways and from a place of love, send them peace and hope that they can find peace.  

What really counts is whether we truly approve of ourselves and find it in ourselves to be truly authentic.  The only person we deprive or hurt when we act out of obligation or in-authenticity is ourselves.

Questions to ponder:
* Do I worry about what others think about me?
* How do I feel when I act out of obligation or seeking approval of others which feels inauthentic?
* What would happen if I stopped people-pleasing?
* Why do I seek the approval of others?
* Looking in reverse, is there anyone I have negative thoughts about?  Why?  What is the mirror showing me?