Every single person you meet will conjure up some fantastical version of you. And regardless of whether you’re the Queen of England or a lowly peasant, many of them will be bad. But are these bad opinions really worth validating? More often than not, they aren’t!

Of course, the human brain doesn’t work like that. We strive to be the ultimate versions of ourselves, and so we hold onto those external judgments as fact. We analyse their actuality and sometimes we resort to “fixing” the problem. But if you were to do that with every single opinion of you – even the ones you don’t hear – your personality will be scattered and impossible to decipher.

Which means you mustn’t care what everybody thinks of you, or else you’ll lose yourself.

Remember: it’s just an opinion

Most opinions are based on personal life experiences. They tend to lack factual evidence or even a decent amount of thought. They are verbal bullets, directed at you for either the purpose of changing your actions or hurting your ego. Honestly, if it’s the latter, please fling that opinion into oblivion!

Of course, even if the opinion is presented as advice – especially from someone you most admire – it’s still not a reason to accept it without question. Because an opinion about you is not the bonafide truth. It’s just someone’s personal view, restricted to their personal tastes and feelings. It may not actually be worth taking on at all.

And if it is from someone you love or a person you’re trying to emulate (like a mentor), it may be worth considering its validity. But do so with a pinch of salt. Especially if you want to keep your true identity alive.

It’s your life, not theirs…

When you don’t care, great things happen

Freeing your mind from negative opinions and focusing on your own wellbeing is a great step towards self-actualisation. You give yourself the power to govern yourself. And this personal freedom brings so much opportunity to your life.

Think about it: if you were to grasp every negative opinion of you and accept it as fact, how will you ever know who you are? Honestly, you won’t. Because personal growth and identity come from within. They are what you accept.

Once you cast off the shackles of everyday opinions, you give yourself the ability to trace your own path. You build on your own values and preach your own gospel truth. You’ll learn more about yourself more than you ever will, purely because you’re shifting your focus from external trivial perceptions to what really matters to you.

You’ll find your own dreams and aspirations. And this will fill you with confidence because you finally don’t care if people think you suck.

Because you finally know that nobody is immune to bad opinions. Not even God themself.