There was a time in my life when I irrationally worried about what people thought about me and desperately wanted to gain the approval of strangers. Working through my social anxiety has allowed me to live a life where I happily feel free enough to not care.
Taking your power back is exhilarating , isn't it? I still occasionally have to remind myself to, even at 60. It changes everything! Thank you for the inspiring reminder.
"If I really think about it, hate emails are an admission of them relinquishing their emotional state over to me. I mean, my words had enough power to not only change someone's mental state but make them put it into action by reaching out to their new emotional dictator." That is brilliant.
I struggle with the same thing. Not really concerned about strangers but mainly family members. They know my feelings on topics but typically won't engage me in discussions. As a group they'll talk about things in front of me but won't ask my position. I'd rather not discuss a matter when it literally 5 against 1, so I say nothing. I would love the discussion if it were based in facts, but most of the time it's just repeated talking points they heard on the news, and mostly emotional. I recall a discussion with my very intelligent sister-in-law concerning Bill Clinton. She was on the verge of getting angry, but insisted Clinton was NOT impeached. When I realized she wasn't interested in true I just let it go. I'm a work in progress. I'm still working on not letting negative words bring me down to their level, but sometimes it's hard.
I walked a similat path of having low self-confidence. It was tough to fix, but I am much stronger because of that journey. Glad you made it through as well. To those who have yet to make the journey: failure is not the end, it's a painful learning experience that allows you to grow. Each failure is an opportunity to grow.
I have a ways to go - thanks for being a light at the end of the tunnel...
Taking your power back is exhilarating , isn't it? I still occasionally have to remind myself to, even at 60. It changes everything! Thank you for the inspiring reminder.
"If I really think about it, hate emails are an admission of them relinquishing their emotional state over to me. I mean, my words had enough power to not only change someone's mental state but make them put it into action by reaching out to their new emotional dictator." That is brilliant.
Kudos Adam. Peace with your thoughts is truly freedom. Keep on keeping on.
I struggle with the same thing. Not really concerned about strangers but mainly family members. They know my feelings on topics but typically won't engage me in discussions. As a group they'll talk about things in front of me but won't ask my position. I'd rather not discuss a matter when it literally 5 against 1, so I say nothing. I would love the discussion if it were based in facts, but most of the time it's just repeated talking points they heard on the news, and mostly emotional. I recall a discussion with my very intelligent sister-in-law concerning Bill Clinton. She was on the verge of getting angry, but insisted Clinton was NOT impeached. When I realized she wasn't interested in true I just let it go. I'm a work in progress. I'm still working on not letting negative words bring me down to their level, but sometimes it's hard.
I walked a similat path of having low self-confidence. It was tough to fix, but I am much stronger because of that journey. Glad you made it through as well. To those who have yet to make the journey: failure is not the end, it's a painful learning experience that allows you to grow. Each failure is an opportunity to grow.
Go ahead, Adam.