Letting Go of the Need to Be Liked
There was a time when I cared too much about what people thought of me. I shaped my choices, silenced parts of myself, and chased approval like it could somehow prove I was enough. But eventually, I learned that no amount of validation from others could ever replace the peace that comes from truly accepting who I am.
The truth is, living to please others pulls us further from ourselves. When we obsess over being liked, we lose sight of what we truly want. We compromise our dreams, mute our instincts, and measure our worth by standards that were never ours to begin with.
What I didn’t realize back then is this: no matter how hard we try, we will never control how others see us. People carry their own fears, assumptions, and wounds—and their opinions often say more about them than they do about us. Relying on those opinions for self-worth is a dangerous game. One compliment lifts us up, one harsh word tears us down.
Eventually, I reached a point where I asked myself a simple question: “Can their approval pay my bills? Can it bring me peace?” The answer was no—and that realization set me free.
I began turning inward, learning to listen to my own voice. I stopped asking, “Will they like this?” and started asking, “Does this feel true to me?” I built my confidence not on praise, but on purpose—on the quiet courage of living authentically.
This shift didn’t happen overnight. It took confronting my own doubts, shedding the roles I played to feel accepted, and letting go of the fear of disappointing others. But the more I honored my own values, the more I came home to myself.
Self-worth, I’ve found, isn’t something to earn—it’s something to reclaim.
I learned to speak kindly to myself, to forgive my mistakes, and to see beauty in the parts of me I used to hide. And in doing so, I opened up space for peace—the kind that doesn’t waver with someone else’s opinion.
Surrounding myself with people who love me for who I am—not who they want me to be—helped me grow even more. These are the voices that matter: the ones that echo truth, not judgment. The ones that remind me I’m worthy not because I fit in, but because I stand in my truth.
In the end, the greatest freedom is found in self-acceptance. Not the polished, perfect kind—but the raw, honest kind. The kind that says, this is me, flaws and all, and I am enough.
So here’s to letting go of what others think—and finally becoming who we were always meant to be.