As someone whose livelihood depends on people thinking well of me, I\u2019m very conscious of what people might think about me. Will people like what I write or say? Will they think I\u2019m too opinionated or that I harp on too much about being courageous?<\/p>\n
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If you\u2019re like me, and most people I know, you also like to be liked. Nothing wrong with that! However sometimes we can let our desire to be liked \u2013 and our fear of being disliked, criticized or rejected \u2013 keep us from saying what we know needs to be said, from making a change, declining an invitation, setting a boundary or from simply expressing our individuality fully.<\/p>\n
The irony is that when we worry about what ‘everybody will think’ our everybody is usually just a few key people whose admiration and acceptance we want. It’s far from everybody. And by letting our desire to win their approval determine our actions we unconsciously hand over our power to them.<\/p>\n
\nNever \u00a0let what others might think matter more than what you think!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
While speaking at a women\u2019s leadership event recently\u00a0I talked about how important it is not to be driven by pleasing others. Afterward, a\u00a0woman approached me and shared how she’s always struggled not to be too nice, but has realized that by failing to stand her ground over the years, and sometimes to assertively push forward her opinion, she\u2019s ended up being railroaded and being passed over for promotions that have gone to more assertive colleagues.<\/p>\n