We’re always thinking about what everyone else is thinking. We’re constantly comparing and criticizing and finding ways to bring ourselves down.
I know I’ve spent way too much time in my life feeling inadequate, unworthy, or simply not good enough. I’ve spent way too much time obsessing over my imperfections and comparing myself to others. I’ve spent too much time overthinking every little thing.
I’ve come to realize how ridiculous it is. Yet, again and again I find myself getting stuck in those same patterns of putting myself down or being afraid. It’s ridiculous when we really think about the amount of time we waste and the opportunities we miss simply due to feelings of inferiority, self-criticism, and comparison.
When it comes down to it, we’re all doing the same thing. We’re all caring so much about others that we fail to recognize how much we’re losing in the process. We forget the whole point and waste opportunities.
And at the end of the day, nobody really gives a shit. If we really think about all the time we spend obsessing over those little details, holding on to feelings or ideas we’ve created in our heads, none of it really matters. It’s just a story we’re replaying in our heads and something that we’ve turned into “reality”. When we realize that no one really cares all that much, we can see no one is judging us nearly as harshly as we are judging ourselves.
We’re either judging others or we’re judging ourselves. Either way it’s all based on our own insecurity or our own feelings of inadequacy. It’s all based on this obsession we have with ourselves.
When we step back, we start to see just how much we’re focusing on ourselves and focusing on the ideas that WE created about what others think. In that moment, we can recognize how little any of it matters. Focusing on ourselves and caring so much about what people think only blocks us off from seeing and learning from those around us. We forget to look around and see the world around us.
Our perspective changes everything, because really that’s all we have. All we have is the way we think and the projections we’ve created in our minds. That is our reality. If we project negativity and judgment, we’re going to get negativity and judgment. If we project positivity and openness, we’re going to receive positivity and openness.
I guarantee nobody cares nearly as much as you think they do about whatever you’re afraid of showing them. And even if they do care, it really doesn’t matter.
So let’s do whatever it is that feels right for us. Let’s stop being afraid of trying things or doing the things we want even if they are different. Let’s stop being afraid of others judgments. Let’s stop putting ourselves down before we even start. The second we start to look at the world differently, we start to see that no one is judging us quite as harshly as we are. No one is as critical or harsh on us as we are. We see that people don’t care nearly as much as we think. All those insecurities and fears start to diminish. The world starts to open up to us. We start seeing things and experiencing things that we never had a chance to before.
Making Mindful 