More often than not, recognition adds value to one’s achievement. This isn’t supposed to be true, but unfortunately, it seems like it is. My achievements don’t feel as good by themselves, as they do when people tell me that they are good. So I ask myself, when did it become the norm to seek validation outside of oneself? Why don’t I do stuff for myself anymore? Do I even realize that no one and I mean no one in the world spends more time than necessary thinking about me?
This is the kind of monologue that goes on inside my head every day. “Do I look okay? Is my hair too wavy today? Are my clothes alright? What if I post this on Instagram and someone doesn’t like it? I have to make everything look perfect and flawless. Done! Today’s social media presence taken care of. How many likes did it get? Really? Is anyone reading the captions? I really want to get my point across.”
Until one day, I snapped out of it. It dawned on me that it doesn’t matter what people think or what people say. A principle that I have been following already in life. When it comes to things that matter, I really do NOT care what people think. I have found people standing against me many times in life, but that made no difference to me no matter what stage of life I was in. I lost friends, made up with them, survived defamation and yet managed to do exactly what I want in life. Heck, I got married 3 months into meeting the love of my life. I’ve been told to take it slow and I took that advice and filed it under ‘Don’t give a damn’. Why then, do I worry about trivial things such as appearances? Why do I crave to hear someone say they approve?
Ridiculous isn’t it? I thought so. It is a very hard habit to break, but it has to be done. Your life is yours and it is what you make of it. I draw great happiness from mine and I want you to do the same. I let go of the need for validation. It’s your turn to do the same. Do what you do and shine on. Love yourself.
