“The world is going to keep bashing me for whatever I do, and I’m going to keep not caring.” – Jaden Smith
Why is it that we humans care so much? We care to such a degree that we completely disregard our own happiness. We plaster fake smiles on our faces and force out strain laughs because we care what others might think about us. Or even worse, what they might say about us behind our backs.
It makes no sense why we purposely hurt ourselves trying to obtain someone else’s approval. Our fake smiles and laughter only cause us pain. Still, we do so because the thought of not receiving any recognition from the people we so desperately want to notice us sickens us to the core. We care so much about the opinion of others that we are willing to do anything to please them.
It pains me to say it, but I was once one of those people that cared too much about the opinion of others. I sought approval from people that I desperately wanted to like or even worse, love me. I thought that if I had their approval then maybe I was someone that was worthy. I felt like it validated me as a person, when in reality, it did nothing of the sort. It took me a while to realize that the only approval I needed was from myself. No one else’s opinion is as valid as my own and if I believe that I am worthy than I am.
One’s personal opinion of themselves is more important than anyone else’s. It’s not a mindset that we are taught to believe when we are growing up. To be honest, we are taught the complete opposite. The phrase, “Some people care too much” was thrown around more like a compliment than an insult. So as adults, and especially as women, it’s harder for us to break out of this mindset. But I strongly encourage everyone to do so.
I have never felt as happy and fulfilled as I currently do. Don’t get me wrong, my life is far from perfect. Just like everyone else, I have my good days and bad days. But life gets way better once you stop relying on others’ opinions to find satisfaction. No longer do I stay up wondering if I said the wrong thing or did something annoying throughout my day. No longer do I feel the urge to tone down my personality to fit the status quo of someone else.
I’ve learned to love myself and my own opinions. It wasn’t easy, but it is possible. Like a doctor, I cut out the bad parts of my life that were making me sick. I cut out the friends that did nothing but tear me down. I focused on making friends that were supportive and respectful and now, hanging out with friends isn’t a chore that I dread. Instead, it’s something that I look forward too.
However, the most important thing that I did was blocking out the noise around me. I started giving less attention to the opinion of others and more to my own. Life is too short to care about what others think about you. So, focus on what you think about yourself and ignore everyone else. Your opinion is the only opinion that matters. Once you realize this then you will learn the true meaning of happiness.