What other people think: Does it matter or not?

I’ve always been somewhat of a free spirit, flying through life and not paying too much attention to ill-natured opinions of me. After all, I was not put on this earth to revolve my life around other people’s expectations, nor am I going to change the direction of my flight due to someone else’s thought process. I’m on my own personal journey and will not allow people to put bumps on my road or block my path to getting to the end in one confident piece. I do the best I can for ME, my approval of myself is the most important thing on my list, and other people’s expectations come after that, if they come at all.

I’m not going to sugar coat things and say it hasn’t hurt my feelings a bit when I hear a rude or harsh word were spoken about me, but I won’t let it affect who I am in the long run. Usually that “thing” a person thinks is incorrect or based on an inaccurate piece of information they may have been told, which forced the thought to sit in their mind and form an inappropriate opinion.

I am always taken aback when I encounter someone who completely obsesses about what other people think of them or lets something they heard spoken of them stew in their head like venom and try endlessly to figure out who said it and why they think it. It’s just so silly to me! Honestly? People don’t really care that much. We’d be much less worried about what other people think of us if we realized how seldom they do. Anyone who is more pre-occupied with someone else’s life, obviously needs to get one of their own, wouldn’t you agree?

Other people’s opinions are important to me, that’s a definite statement. I may erase some from my memory upon hearing them or I may give an honest listen to some...depending on the nature of their thought, who they are, and most importantly, how well they truly know ME. If they are not well educated and haven’t a lick common sense on their side, I will likely brush their opinion off my shoulder as quickly as I would if a spider were to descend upon me.

Another thing I have learned about people, which is why it doesn’t necessarily bother me if people talk behind my back, is that often times the things people say are not how they truly feel when it comes to idle gossip or catty remarks. Sometimes, people have this nagging insecurity within themselves, that can only be soothed by focusing on the flaws of others. Pointing out what is wrong or distasteful about another person, somehow makes them feel as is they can gain an appreciation from the person with whom they are gossiping with. This is more prominent in women. It doesn’t matter what age, some women will always be mentally stuck in the 5th grade, and can be your best friend one second, and be talking shit about you the next. This makes me giggle because it’s so predictable, and while one could choose to let these things upset them and call someone out on their misconceptions and seemingly cruel disposition, it’s much easier for me to ignore this sort of ridiculousness altogether.

Ultimately, any person who begins a conversation with a negative comment about someone else, has a lot to learn. Smart people know that by fixing the flaws in “ourselves” first deters us from putting a microscope up to everyone else’s shortcomings. In the end, it doesn’t matter what people say about me behind my back because “I” like myself. I read this quote in a book back when I was a teenager, and I’ll never forget how the words clicked like a light bulb, “Pay no attention to ill-natured remarks about you, simply live your life so that nobody will believe them.” How simple yet powerful those words are.

In the grand scheme of things the truth about people will reign in the end. I will continue to be who I am, speak my opinion, and not pass judgements on others. We were not made to be perfect, and most definitely we will die imperfect. All we can do is make the best with what we got and know that everyone else is probably trying to do the same, it is not our job to judge how fast they do it or in what fashion they try to improve. We need to worry about ourselves, and not the faults of others. With that said, ultimately other people’s opinions don’t really bother me because I’ll be skipping along a yellow brick road with my shiny red slippers filled with hope regardless of the negativity I encounter.