Hi Guys
I'm new here, but this site looks awesome from what i can see. People looking to further themselves positively, nice, very nice. Anyway back onto topic your story just made me think of a quote that totally changed the way I think about self consciousness and what people thought of me and all that.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” - Nelson Mandella from his inaugural speech.
Just made me think about how we perceive social interactions in a sense of "I have to care about what others think of me and shrink to their standards", wheras we should think to ourselves 'who am I not to stand out and say what I think and feel', as the quote says you really bless others by doing this and let them do the same. Mind you people won't always like it but who cares really? Are you really going to shrink yourself and not live your life because of someone else?
Other people don't have to live your life and if they don't like what you have to say, then they don't have to listen. The irony of it is that people are more drawn to you as you speak your mind and drop the baggage of over concern with what others think of you. For sure you can be aware of how others might respond to what your saying but it dosen’t mean you have to be overly concerned with it.
I think that's the attitude we should come to when communicating with others: being aware of how they might react instead of being worried about it.
anyway that's my take on it.
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