30 December 2020
When I write, I like to sit quietly in the wee hours of the morning and allow the words to flow through my pen. I handwrite each of these blog entries, then I transfer them to the computer. The words always seem to flow, without much thought about the content or topic. Unfortunately, when I think about how others may react to what I write, the ideas vanish. When I write for myself, without the intention of sharing the words on the internet, I never run out of ideas. When I think about sharing my writing, I experience inhibition – a common problem known as writer’s block. How much of who we are and what we’re capable of is inhibited by our perceptions of what others think about us? I would imagine that our perceptions of what others think, have squelched many a wonderful idea! Today, rekindle your desires without fear of what others may say or how they may react.
Why does the approval of others matter so much, anyway? Pinning your fears on the disapproval of others is simply a back-handed justification of inaction. Your way forward in life is listening to a different voice, a higher calling. It’s time to stop believing in the fantasy of what others think of you, and to start believing in your unique gifts and talents. There will always be part of you that seeks approval from others, but that’s never a good reason to take action or to be prevented from action. You don’t even need to seek self-approval, whatever that is! Don’t seek approval, seek goodness, honesty, contribution, joy and inner peace through what you do in life. Those things bring a much more lasting fulfillment than the fantasy of approval from others.