I Believe We Should Care What Others Think of Us
What they say about us - to others and to us directly.
There are so many images and posts about not caring about how we are viewed by the people in our world. It’s a “thing” right now, for sure.
IMHO it’s no way to grow, feel confident, stretch our thinking, or be of value to those around us.
It can be a cop-out. Yup, I wrote that out loud.
Have you noticed that when we don't want to believe the things we hear about ourselves, we fall back on disbelief?
Perhaps we lack self-awareness of who we really are?
Or, possibly we are experiencing cognitive dissonance?
I’m not saying there aren’t going to be the haters, the disbelievers in what you can accomplish or those trying to make themselves feel better about themselves by stepping on us. But, I’m guessing the vast majority of the time there is a least a kernel of truth in what others think about us.
We should accept their thoughts with grace
We should strive to drop defensiveness and denial in favour of receptiveness
There are likely learnings to be had from almost everyone’s view of us
I would love to be a fly on the wall when others are talking about me.
Reflect on others’ views, and roll them around in a “what if they are right” kind of way. Not a “they are out to grind me down” kind of way.
Another thought: If you have only people around you who think you are perfect, flawless and no one calls you out on shit - you are either unapproachable, deemed too defensive, or hanging around with the wrong crowd.
And then there are the people for who it’s even deeper. You know, the ones that no one disagrees with - there’s a lot of nodding but little feedback on what’s spilling out of their mouths. And the next thing you know that person attributes their thoughts to the listener. That’s a problem on so many levels. Don’t be this person - open yourself up to growth.
I believe you can, in fact, gain confidence by absorbing what others think of you with a clear, open-minded attitude. Taking action on insights presented to you - of how you are viewed from outside your view - is a chance to become a better human being, a more interesting person, a kinder one, and a more fulfilled individual.
Simply yours, Kellie :-}
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