Do you live for yourself or for others?
Best regards, Project HOPE friends, happy day to all. Today I want to share with you a reflection on something I heard and thought: yes, it makes perfect sense…
Let's talk about seeking approval, that "negative habit" that, without realizing it, can turn us into emotional prisoners. Sometimes we think it's harmless, that we just want to be liked or make others feel comfortable, but if we analyze it closely, what's actually happening is that we become dependent on external validation.
Let's take a simple example: imagine you have an idea, a project, or simply an opinion about something. You share it with those around you and anxiously await others' reaction. If you receive approval, you feel good and motivated. But if there's criticism or indifference, you begin to doubt yourself, even questioning whether you should continue. Do you see the problem? Your emotional well-being depends on the response of others.
This, taken to the extreme, can cause a person to live conditioned by the need for acceptance. Their decisions aren't truly their own, but rather a reflection of what they believe others expect of them. And this is where emotional dependence comes into play. Because those who constantly seek external approval end up handing over control of their emotions to others.
If you get used to measuring your worth based on how others see you, you become vulnerable. And the worst part is that it will never be enough, because there will always be someone who disagrees, someone who doesn't value you, someone who simply doesn't care. So what do we do?
The ideal is to strengthen self-confidence, learning to validate our own decisions without needing external applause. It's not about ignoring others, but about not allowing their opinions to determine who you are or what you do.
So the question is: How much of what you do is because you truly want it and how much is to be accepted? I'll read you in the comments.
One of the things that I was able to understand at the early stage of my life is the fact that my life is not mine. And so this makes me to quickly understand how things works