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Do you worry about what others think of you?
Come on now, be honest.
I do.
I'm only human.
In today's issue, I'll share two stories that prove it doesn't really matter what others think of you--and that's it's possible to be happy without others' approval.
My Story About Not Caring What People Think
Jordan Walks Around the Block
I do my best thinking when I'm walking around.
And I don't just walk around.
I kind of do something embarrassing.
I occasionally make subtle gestures with my hands and talk to myself, sometimes visibly.
In other words, what, to me, is working out the deepest issues in my life and making new connections with ideas, appears, to others, to be...a somewhat crazy person.
How often have looked at someone from your car or from the other side of the street and made an immediate assumption about what they are doing--and about who they are as a person?
I still do it all the time, and I know it's not good.
That snap judgment has a name in psychology: it's called the Fundamental Attribution Error.
When I'm walking around and talking to myself, I find it to be extremely productive.
It's where most of my best ideas come from, ideas that turn into side projects, newsletter articles, or something else valuable for the world.
Now, let's look at one other example before I send you on your merry way.
A Lesson in Not Caring -Awkwardly Sitting Around the Fire
A few days ago, I was that driver passing by.
I was the one that scouted a scene and thought it looked odd.
I was driving through my neighborhood and noticed a group of three sitting out in the middle of the yard. It was very cold that day in Montana, and they were bundled up to the nth degree. Think Elmer-Fudd-type clothing.
They were sitting in what appeared to be flimsy chairs you would take camping or to the beach, and they were all huddled around an old-timey stove.
And that stove was on fire. Rather, they had created a raging bonfire with that old-timey stove.
It looked pretty darn weird.
But you know what?
This group of people was having the time of their lives, laughing and gesticulating to one another.
As I drove by, I thought, "They look like hobos around a fire."
That's not nice, I know.
But it's exactly what it looked like.
And I thought, normally, it's extremely odd to build a roaring fire in your front yard with inappropriate equipment.
But it worked for them--and it worked very well. They were having a great time.
The Key Takeaway - How to Not Care and Worry So Much
So what's the point of these two stories?
The key takeaway is this:
No matter what you do, it's going to be interpreted and misconstrued by the silly humans around you. You will never be able to clearly communicate the meaning behind your activities one hundred percent of the time.
That shouldn't cause anxiety for you--that should inspire you.
Because what you do in life is not supposed to impress others. It's supposed to work--for you.
Focus on that today.
Think about all the things you do that might look odd, goofy, or whatever.
Think about all the things you see on a daily basis that seem downright strange.
And then think about what you truly want out of life.
Do you want to live to perform for others and make sure no one thinks you're strange?
Or do you want to live a fulfilling life?
Starting today, worry less about what others think and more about the results you get from the things you do.
