“Who cares?”
Such an easy phrase to say, but a difficult thing to truly believe.
We all care to some degree. It’s human nature to care what others think of us and it’s hard to counteract our natural tendencies. However, with time and conscious effort, we can all strive towards placing higher value on what we think of ourselves rather than prioritizing what others think of us.
I also want to emphasize that there is a significant difference between not caring what people think of you and being careless. Not caring what people think of you allows you to better yourself as an individual to make yourself happy above all else. Being careless, on the other hand, is when you blatantly disregard your impact on others in a way that could potentially harm both yourself and those around you.
It took me a long time to stop caring about what people thought of me, but eventually I realized that no one really pays that much attention to how I come across, mostly because everyone is too busy worrying about how they come across. Realistically, we’re all in the same boat, so we might as well just each put ourselves first and get over what everyone else thinks. I also realized that if I’m not making myself happy, then what’s the point?
There are so many things that we are self-conscious about for no valid reason at all. If you’re self-conscious about something, just try asking yourself, “Who cares?” or “What will happen if no one likes ___?” Chances are, nothing will happen and you’ll have stressed yourself out for no reason.
Who cares if no one likes my outfit? I love my outfit.
Who cares how many likes I’ll get on that photo? I love that photo.
Who cares what people think of my articles? I love my articles.
All three examples are things that I have asked myself and this simple question really helps me truly release that obligatory feeling of caring about what people think of me. When I first started sharing my articles with people, I initially thought, “What are people going to think?” I may not be the best writer or the most influential person, so at the beginning, I thought to myself, “What’s the point of sharing if no one is going to pay attention or even like what I write?” But then I realized, who cares if no one reads my articles? I’m doing this for me– to make myself happy, not to make anyone else happy.
It’s easy to fall into a cycle of asking yourself, “What will they think?” instead of “Who cares what they think?” In those moments, try to remind yourself that everyone is probably thinking the same way you are– worried about what you are thinking of them. Even if someone is judging you for whatever reason, their judgment in no way, shape, or form should define you. Chances are, you probably won’t even know what is on their mind. And especially if someone is judging you for something you are happy with or proud of, that judgment is more of a reflection of themselves rather than of you. Not everyone is going to agree with all your decisions and opinions, but that shouldn’t stop you from doing things that make yourself happy. As long as what you are doing is not directly hurting anyone around you, there is nothing that should stand in your way from making decisions for your own self-satisfaction.