Upon reading this quote,

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. — Steve Jobs

I started thinking about the challenges we face with acquiring meaning and purpose in our lives. We are often met with hesitation and doubt due to a number of factors, such as anxiety associated with fear – fear of what others may think, fear of failure, fear of not meeting the expectations of others, which are all critical road blocks in our journey to success and full well-being. We are too concerned with people pleasing, instead of pleasing ourselves.

People pleasing can lead to unhappy, unfulfilled lives, resentment, and regret due to neglecting one’s own needs. It is also a breeding ground for setting yourself up to be taken advantage of, not being taken seriously, and manipulation from others. It is imperative that you realize that you have a choice, and it is necessary that you prioritize your life with you as a top priority. Do not base your worth on what others think of you or how much you do for others.

Stagnancy is inevitable when we allow the thoughts of others to deter our desires and aspirations. We often get too complacent with our lives, which causes us to fall short of true happiness and growth. It has always been my assertion that what others think or say about me is none of my business. In fact, why do we put so much weight on what others think? I mean, whose life is it anyway?

Take your life back! It is more important for us to follow our own notions, and live our lives according to our own beliefs, values, and morals; only then will we truly have sense of accomplishment.