Don't Take it Personally

I tend to take myself so seriously at times.  I stay in control, want to look a certain way and definitely don’t want to stand out too much.  I get in my head and I can be overly concerned about what other people think about me.

I crave praise and approval - I want people to tell me I’m doing a good job.  And if I get criticized or judged (even from a random person on the internet), it can hurt.

The good news:  I don’t let it stop me!  

Once I became aware of this pattern in me, I just notice it’s happening and don’t let it control me.  I look at it for what it is - my ego trying to keep me “safe” and years of conditioning unconsciously being told we need to be liked by others.

In the acclaimed book, The Four Agreements, number two is Don’t Take Anything Personally.  

Why?  Because nothing others do is because of you.  What others say and do is a projection of their own mind and what’s going on inside of them, and in reality has nothing to do with you.  When you can learn to free yourself from the actions and opinions of others, you are liberated from needless suffering.

Even if you haven’t completely transcended it like me, just being aware of it is a HUGE step.

As human beings, we are social animals and it wasn’t all that long ago that if you weren’t accepted by your tribe, it meant death.  So it’s no wonder this pattern can still live within us.

Notice it in yourself and don’t let it stop you from being who you are and doing what you want to do.

“At 20, we worry about what others think of us.  At 40, we don’t care what they think of us.  At 60, we discover they haven’t been thinking of us at all.”

XO

Adrienne