Why?
Because your happiness doesn't depend on other people. It resides within you! So why should the joy and satisfaction you get from life be contingent upon their opinion of you, which may be faulty to begin with?
No matter how hard you may try to please others, you will always fall short in someone's eyes.
How others see us is not necessarily who we are. They merely base their opinions on how they perceive us. And, remember, human beings are conditioned to accept perception as reality when they don't have all the facts.
It's akin to judging a book by its cover.
Never allow the noise of others' opinions drown out your inner voice.
The deeper we get sucked into others' opinions -- and the harder we seek their validation in order to feel whole -- the easier it is to lose ourselves.
Obviously, we all want to do our part to cultivate a favorable image of ourselves. No one wants to be thought of as lazy, insolent, rude, or selfish.
But if you know you're none of those things and yet someone still sees you that way, it's no one's problem but their own. If you're comfortable in your own skin, you don't have to prove yourself to anyone.
The more time spent managing others' impressions of you, the less time you're actually relishing life.
Some people just wish to cast us in a certain light, whether out of envy or sheer malice. Others are just reluctant to actually ask. Don't pay them any mind.
Keep doing what you're doing. Keep being you. As long as you're not hurting anyone else or yourself, you have the right to be the most authentic version of yourself you can possibly be.
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