Stop caring what other people think of me

Perhaps the best way of accomplishing this goal is to forget about it altogether …

I have come to realize that I have been molded by many hands … except my own. And the most painful truth is that the responsibility is entirely mine.

It is impossible to be happy when you lose control of your own identity, and have it defined by other people. People’s values and opinions change, and it’s an effort just to keep up. You find yourself trying frantically to be everything that can contribute to a “good identity”, by striving to be kind, patient, funny, sporty, artistic, easy-going, cool, etc. That’s a whole lot of self-images to grow and protect! You cannot be all THAT at the same time! And how can you possibly become all these things when it is not you but other people who desired them? In such situations, criticisms to any aspect can be a mortal blow to your self-esteem!

So there must be a core to your self-identity, a clear definition of who you are, decided entirely by yourself. Something that you really want to be, with everything else being secondary to it. Only you can define who you are! There can be no destination to be reached if you are just been pushed around by public opinion.

Mmmmm … This train of thought seems logical to me so far … Dare to be who I am, how can that be such a difficult thing to accomplish? I need to get my hands back on the steering wheel and make life go my way!