What if you cared less about what others thought?

Every few days I have the same mini-epiphany.

People are often held captive by their thoughts about other people.

Like earlier today, I was standing in a queue to buy bacon and eggs. The person in front of me was being particularly British.

(I’m back in England for a few days).

They were being extra pleasant.

Profusely apologising for getting in the way of someone trying to reach the Crunchy Nut Cornflakes before profusely thanking the cashier for scanning their groceries.

Human pleasantries.

Often forced.

But would this person go home and act the same way with their ailing mother?

I doubt it.

Yes, it’s good to be courteous when around strangers.

But we can steer it too far, until we become someone we no longer recognise.

A walking mask.

The real you a fading husk.

Why?

Because most of us operate on one very compelling belief. It’s a belief that circles in our heads like a lost moth.

Round and round and round.

The belief is this:

‘Other people are a threat to my happiness because if they criticise me, I will suffer.’

So we adapt.

We become extra nice.

We can’t fathom the idea of getting a bad look.

God forbid a verbal criticism.

But this niceness traps us in an often lifelong straitjacket.

We’re not able to relax and be our real, happy selves.

I suffered like this for over a decade, too.

And it infects other areas of our lives:

It gets in the way of our ambitions. We settle for less, so we don’t risk more potential human judgement.

Is that how you plan to continue your life?

If not, take the above belief and challenge it logically.

What if:

‘Other people are in NO WAY a threat to my happiness, which means I can relax, be myself, show myself and enjoy life (finally).’

...

It’s possible.

Challenge your beliefs.

If you’d like me to guide you by the hand so you develop immunity from criticism, you’ll love my latest course:

Let Go of the S#it that Weakens You - 15 steps to rewire your mind so you care less about what others think

Over 15 steps, the course shows you the blueprint to rewire your mind for fearlessness in the face of potential criticism.

This doesn’t have to take years.

It can take a couple of days. You just need the right guidance (developed through years of trial and error on my part) and the proper process for challenging all your unhelpful beliefs about others.

Buy the course here.

Alex

“I have taken your principles and applied them. Life got in the way, and I became worried about what people thought. You helped me change all that.” - Erin Gurnell