21 Oct Enjoy more happiness by simplifying life and living more authentically
via PickTheBrain by Samy Felice
I have to be upfront with you guys. I’m confused. By just how much pressure we put on ourselves, to be successful in “the eyes of the world”. Instead of focusing on how to live more authentically, we pander to an imaginary audience.
We play ourselves into a standard that’s been shaped by ethereal, myriad, influences. Just like a puppeteer strings along a puppet, we do the very same thing to ourselves, under the misguiding, subtle guidelines around us.
We make choices based on what we think other people will think, often without even realizing it. But, they don’t care – not nearly as much we believe. And even if they did, what do you or me owe them?
Nothing.
(Note: We focus on other people so much, partly because we haven’t developed full confidence in our self-reliance at work. So, I have a special bonus. Make sure you read all the way to the end to get it.)
We Care Too Much about How we Look
I’m not saying it’s always bad to ponder how someone, whether close or distant, will view our actions. But more often than not, it isn’t important. In fact, it can make us leave the better play off the table, out of fear of being ridiculed, judged, or sometimes, even applauded.
We care too much about fitting or being seen by this illusory audience. Or we care too much about not being seen by this audience. This inherent complexity we struggle with is often at the very root of our bad or “acceptable” decisions.
We end up:
- Saying yes to an invitation we don’t really want to go to because we don’t want to let someone down.
- Sticking longer with the career we know isn’t right for us because we’re uncertain about what those around us will think about a change.
- Not practicing our passion because we don’t see enough other people doing it consistently e.g. skateboarding, or playing an instrument.
- Doing something just for the sake of applause, being recognized or approved of – even though we couldn’t care less about it.
…keep reading the full & original article, for more on achieving happiness through simplicity – HERE