This ONE THING Is Keeping You From Personal Growth
Someone once told me they couldn’t take my advice seriously because my hat was on backwards. That’s the kind of opinion we let hold us back. In this episode, we’re talking about how to stop worrying about other people’s opinions, the one thing I believe does more damage to your personal growth than almost anything else.
Here’s what I’ve been thinking about: a lot of the opinions people put on you are really their own fears. They’re scared of becoming who they could become, so they project that onto you. And social media has multiplied those voices until it’s hard to hear your own.
We get caught in three traps:
1. Mind reading. Someone doesn’t text back. Your boss hasn’t emailed. Suddenly you’ve written a whole story about what they’re thinking. We’re usually wrong. Nobody is thinking about us on that level.
2. Not considering the source. Who is “they”? If it’s not your family or friends, the people who already know you, why does their opinion get a vote? Most of the time we don’t know them, and we don’t even like them.
3. Being our own worst critic. We make one small mistake and assume the whole world is talking about it. They’re not. Nobody’s perfect, and you don’t have to be either.
There’s a quote I love: “Worrying doesn’t take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace.”
Here are four ways to stop worrying about what other people think:
1. Care more about what you think. Get solid on your core values and beliefs. When your foundation is steady, the outside noise loses its grip.
2. Get out of the places that weigh you down. Take a break from social media, unfollow accounts, turn off comments, find new people. When you find your one second of strength to walk away from the thing that’s hurting your heart, the very next second will be the best second of your life, because in that second you’ll feel free.
3. Repeat your “I am” statements. I am strong. I am brave. I am capable. Just because someone doesn’t see your value doesn’t mean you should decrease your worth.
4. Replace worry in one second. Our brains default to negative thoughts. Mindset is training. In one second, you can swap worry for hope and refocus on what you can control.
You can’t control what other people say or do. You can always control your reaction, and nobody can take that away from you.
Whether you’re a teenager, a parent, or an adult trying to grow, this one’s for you.
Whose opinion has been taking up too much space in your head? Tell me on Instagram @realtannerclark. I’d love to support you.
Do the three S’s: Subscribe wherever you’re listening, share this with one other person, and leave a five-star rating. It helps more than you know.
Go find your one second of strength — and be happy.