I’ve been reading this book – The Courage to be Disliked – and want to tell you some things that I learned from it; and related things I’ve learned over the years.
Out of ten people, 1 will dislike you, 2 will like you, and the other 7 will be meh. Why do we focus on the one! There’s no need. Give your energy to the other nine.
Don’t care what people think. Just don’t let it bother you. Move on. Think and do other things. What other people think of me is none of my business. It’s ME who I have to make peace with. I’m the fish I gotta catch.
Want self esteem? Do esteemable things. And it’s okay if no one notices. Did I serve others today with love and kindness? That’s all that matters.
I once heard someone say: “Try do do something nice for someone every day, and not get caught.” Repeat: it’s okay if no one notices.
Have you heard this quote from Goi Nasu? “An entire sea of water can’t sink a ship unless it gets inside the ship. Similarly, the negativity of the world can’t put you down unless you allow it to get inside you.”
And there’s the famous quote attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
In my own book – Together We Decide – I provide the following quote by a gal named Mary Thayer:
- Show up
- Pay attention
- Speak your truth
- And let go of the outcome
If one of the outcomes is being disliked by someone, so be it. I like myself when I do the first three.
