Note: This article is adapted from Erin Falconer's blog, where she talks about ways to stop caring about what other people think.
I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life last year, and because of that, I didn't have enough self-confidence. I let people criticize me; it was more than I could handle.
I wanted to inspire people, travel the world, and join the gym. Still, most of my goals seemed out of step with what others around me were doing so much so that if I tried to take a different path, they would be able to leave me alone, hence the need for change.
So, I had some things to change to let go of this fear of other people's opinions and become more independent.
Four ways to stop caring about other people's opinions
1. Meet new people with the same aspirations as you
It is always said that you are affected by the five people you spend the most time with. Fear is essential because being with people like you makes it easy to do and accept what you love.
When I first decided to start a blog, I didn't know anyone who ran their own blog. None of my current friends had done so before, but that all changed during the first two months. I started communicating with people who create blogs and accomplish tasks similar to mine, which made things easier for me. I always turned to them for support and advice.
That does not mean I have forgotten my current friends because if they are close friends and always support me when I need them, why should I stay away from them? You must remember that meeting new people who look like you can give you all the support and guidance you need.
2. Eliminate negativity
Most of my old friends had a negative view of life, or what most describe as a negative attitude towards it, and this made them easily underestimate people's opinions.
For example, when I first suggested that I was going to join a gym, my suggestion was met with sarcasm by some people, and I had to try to ignore their opinions. I trained a lot and have been able to gain weight and build my muscles since then. I surprised many people, but it didn't happen without eliminating the negative people from my life.
I began to move away from people who caused me feelings of doubt and emotional conflicts with myself so that I could express myself more easily among people and share my goals comfortably with other people.
That has helped me to make more progress, so eliminating negative friends from your life can be a critical step to being more confident in your surroundings and eliminating fear of other people's opinions.
3. Focus on friends you trust
You probably have different types of friends, but there are always a few friends you trust too much, such as people who support you regardless of anything. If you are looking for someone to talk to, these trustworthy friends are the ones you should go to because they will be very understanding and helpful to you.
When I wanted to express my ideas for the first time and be more confident in myself, I was talking to two or three friends individually, so I wanted to share my goals, new ideas, and opinions about anything with them, and they were listening to them and turned into a great discussion.
I gained much confidence from these conversations because I saw that some people agreed with me and did not oppose me. I progressively started to communicate openly and clearly with my other friends. Things quickly began to improve, feel more at ease, and my objectives started to come true.
Start with friends you trust, then be clear and open with others. It is not good to try to overcome your fears by trusting a large group of people immediately, so gradually build your trust in others.
4. Taking Responsibility for Life
The most important thing to remember is to understand that you are the person who leads your life, and you have the freedom to choose what you want to do. Friends will come and go, and most people you see daily will not see them twice.
Be confident in yourself because the only person who will witness everything in your life is you, and your opinion of yourself is always the most critical step in living a happy and calm life. If we do not all realize that we are in control of our lives, we will always feel that we are subject to the opinions of others, and we will feel doubt and fear.
It's crazy to realize that we're not going to do most of the things we want in life because we're afraid of other people's opinions, afraid to talk to new people, and afraid to trust our thoughts. If we control those feelings of fear and do precisely what we want, we'll be happy people, so be confident in yourself, stay happy, and never let others get you down.
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