Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. Steve Jobs

Our world is full of opinions, they dominate everything in our lives from the clothes we wear to how we practice spiritually. Speaking your truth and maintaining your beliefs is a brave and courageous thing to do. A great example of caring less what others think is Greta Thunberg a climate activist who boldly speaks her truth. As you listen to her speak, you’ll notice that rather than going with the flow of the opinions of others, she powerfully maintains her individuality and voices her perception of climate crisis. Her strong words and opinions evokes anger and fear, so there are multitudes of critics, however she lets none of that stop her, she pushes on and keeps going.

The biggest deterrent to aspiring as a unique individual is to rely on what others think. Building confidence in ourselves, our thoughts, ideas and points of view means being vulnerable and being okay with it. Your individuality and creative spirit is why you are here, in a world where we are all expected to be like everyone else, be daring and confident with what you think.

Allowing the opinions of others to determine our choices is because we’re afraid we’ll make a mistake, say the wrong thing or make the wrong choice. There is nothing wrong with that, being determined and deliberate gives you the power of choice and the situations you end up in.

The Universe is always on your side whether it seems that way or not, your growth as a person unfolds with every decision made whether it’s by you or someone else. It helps to remember that what is right for someone else is most likely completely wrong for you.

Life evolves as we move from one situation to the next, so the choices we make are a key component to our soul’s growth. Our life path is very unique, so it’s vital that we become confident with our inner wisdom. When we fall prey to the beliefs of others, we give up our uniqueness.

On my journey to trusting myself and my decisions, it wasn’t until a few years ago that I valued that and gained the confidence to care less about the opinions of others. The person that unintentionally taught me that, spent all of her time trying to conform me into another version of herself, when I realized what was happening; I pulled away. She became very angry with me because she lost the control she thought she had. When I began relying on myself and my observations, the path became clearer for my growth as a person.

While it isn’t easy to unlearn a deeply ingrained belief that what others think is right for you, be captivated by the freedom of relying on what you think, being completely who you are and the driving force within you that guides you every day. It doesn’t mean that life will be easier, it does mean that you’re living wisely and intentionally for yourself.

“If you begin to believe what others say about you, they will begin to control you.

Not everything that appears in your mind is true. Do not let someones else’s opinion rule your life.” Haemin Sumin

Let your opinion be the only one you hear

Remember someone’s opinions and beliefs comes from the way they perceive themselves, what they think and say has nothing to do with you. You’re life and the circumstances you’re in are not the first and foremost in someone else’s mind. It helps to remember that whatever the outcome of a situation, you’re the only one who’ll be living with it.

Make a conscious effort to be unique

• Be comfortable with vulnerability, life isn’t certain, there are no solid answers or perfect solutions, the opinions of others only clouds our ability to be alright with being vulnerable and knowing that whatever we decide, no matter the outcome, it is a part of our life path and everything will work out in the end.
• Keep in mind that you’re not the most important thought in other’s minds. When someone blurts out their opinion or says unkind things to you, it has more to do with their self-doubts, insecurities and concerns about what others think about them.
• Don’t filter out the good and focus on the worst case scenario. Pay attention to your thoughts, are they negative and focused on an unfavorable outcome? When you’re doubtful and reach out to someone for their opinion, remember that what you’re asking for help with is still just in your mind so their response will have more to do with them and less to do with what you.
• Perfection is an illusion, no matter how much you want things to be perfect in your life, that is never going to happen. So, rather than put pressure on yourself to be perfect and ask someone what they think, remember no one knows you like you, how people perceive you is coming from their experiences and points of view.
• Learn to let to go of judgment from others. When you make a decision are you worried about what others will think? What do you want or what do you like? Are you making your decisions based on pleasing or impressing someone? When you choose what you truly like or want, what others think will never matter.
• Finally,don’t allow anyone to shame or challenge your choices There may be people who aren’t able to understand or let go of trying to control your life. That is their problem to resolve, not yours. Firmly let those who debate your decision to go solo that your life is your choice, you’re very capable of choosing the direction you want it to go in.

To Conclude

Stop worrying so much about what someone else thinks, it’s necessary for your sanity and your physical health. Once you stop trying to cater to other’s opinions and what they think, you’ll feel much better, you’ll know who you truly are and you will finally be able to breathe deeply and feel at peace.

Thank you for reading my post, I appreciate your time.

How to Not to Live a Lie

Be yourself as an innocent child trust that the real you is enough and never apologize for who you are LP

When I began my consciousness journey several years ago, I made choices that I made based on the approval of those that I thought knew more than I did or appeared to be more consciously aware then I was.  I spent the next several years reading books, taking lots of classes and being involved with groups and practices that offered something that I thought I needed to make me like them.  I compromised myself and my beliefs because I didn’t think I was good enough, not spiritual enough or wise enough.  The truth is I was all of those things, I just needed to believe I was.

A few ways I’ve found helpful to stop living a lie:

• Love yourself a lot, know that love is really all there is, live your life wrapped in it

• Honor your individuality by being yourself always

• Follow the wisdom of your heart, no matter what everyone else tells you, your heart knows what is right for you

• Maintain your integrity and who you are by surrounding yourself with people who don’t want to change you into someone else

• Live spherically, in other words, live all areas of your life authentically: your work, your personal life, your relationships whatever you do and whoever your with, be yourself

• Listen to your inner voice, trust it and know that it knows best, no matter what others think or say

• Be true to your values and ethics, never compromise them no matter what. Trust me on this one, it is one of the most important steps to stop living a lie

• Trust your choices, even if not every one doesn’t work out as you thought they would, the lessons will be invaluable for your growth.  Even though people in your life may seem to know more or have other ideas for how you should choose, their opinions and advice come from their personal experiences and beliefs

I am a photographer who loves nature.  I’ve been a photographer for years and have gotten really good at what I do. But because of my lack of confidence, I spent years holding back because I was intimidated by photographers who were far more experienced than I am.  Then one day a woman I knew suggested that I enter one of my images in a contest.  I decided to take a leap of faith when I found a site that held many contests along with offering a place to showcase my images.  I was nervous and unsure of myself but I created a profile and took one baby step at a time. Each day I added an image and surprisingly the members, who are all photographers, showed interest in them and started awarding them.  I took the next step which was to enter my images in contests, not to win, but to gain more visibility, it worked better than I imagined.  That was nearly a year ago, now my confidence is soaring, my focus is now on learning from all of the photographers I am connected with instead of being daunted by their experience, I honor it and know that they are helping me to become as good as they are.

If you resonate with any part of my story, then you too can break out of the cycle of disbelief, lack of confidence and conformity by just trusting yourself, trusting that who you are is enough.  We  have been told to believe that we have to become like someone else for so long that we don’t even know who we are anymore.  It took a few years and Universe stepping to push me forward before I finally got it.  It’s okay, you’re okay, you really are.

Thank you for stopping by, feel free to share your insights and stories.