What others think of you is none of your business

I came across the following quote earlier this week while browsing the web:

"What people think of you is none of your business."

When I started to analyze the quote more carefully, I realized that there's a lot of truth to it.

Sure, we all want to know what others think of us so that we can manage our reputation accordingly, including dispelling any misconceptions they may have about us.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that you should change anything about yourself based on information you dig up. Regardless of what they think of you, if you're happy with yourself, that's all that matters. If you're not entirely happy with yourself and think they have a point -- whether it's that you should talk more during meetings or not talk over people in conversation -- there's no harm in working to improve yourself in those areas.

I want people to regard me as an intelligent man, so if I were to discover that they think otherwise, would I take offense to it? Probably, and I would make every effort to reverse that perception. But that in no way means that I would start to question my intelligence. I don't need anyone to tell me that I'm bright in order to reinforce what I already feel -- and know -- about myself.

We'll never please everyone. Some people probably wish that we were funnier. Others wish we were into sports. Still others might be dying to tell you they think your wardrobe is tacky.

But we're not in this world to cater to others' whims and preferences. If we were, we'd be pulled in different directions all the time.

We're individual people for a reason. We have our own unique tastes. We have disparate views. Different hopes. Different dreams.

And there's absolutely no reason a person should ever impugn them. People are subject to their own opinions, but opinions aren't facts. The only one who can render a completely fair, unbiased assessment is none other than yourself.

Don't spend so much time worrying about what others think about you. Instead, focus on what you think about yourself. Are you happy with yourself?

For more posts, please click here; How to Understand People

Comments

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