What people say about you is none of your business.
Really,
What people think about you,
Say about you,
Or believe about you,
It has nothing to do with you.
It's actually freeing.
I know that might be hard to believe at first,
But the truth is,
Each of us lives in our own private world.
No matter how close we are,
We can never fully step into another person's experience.
We can't feel their feelings exactly.
We can't see through their eyes.
We don't carry their memories,
Childhoods,
Wounds,
Or dreams,
And they don't carry ours.
I know this might sound strange,
But to other people,
You are not you.
You are a character in their story.
You're cast in a role that you never auditioned for,
Based on their own needs,
Their past,
And their imagination.
It's a truth of life.
We live in a huge projection screen,
And the sooner you can understand and accept that,
The easier life becomes.
Things stop being so personal,
And you become more free.
So when someone praises you,
Or criticizes you,
When they judge,
Misunderstand,
Gossip,
Or even guess who you are,
Remember,
It's not even about you.
It's about the story they are telling themselves.
It doesn't always have to be good or bad.
It's just something you don't have to carry.
Living with this realization can remove a huge amount of drama from your life.
It can bring peace where there was once anxiety,
And freedom where there was once a need to explain,
Defend,
Or prove yourself.
Let yourself be known by those who want to know you.
Let yourself be misunderstood by those who don't,
And let it all be okay.
I know this seems easier than it sounds,
But by just allowing yourself to hear this message,
You can slowly open the door to one day accepting this truth as fully your own.
You are not here to manage people's thoughts,
And honestly,
You can't actually do that anyway.
You're here to live your life,
In truth,
In clarity,
And in peace.
And as you return to your day,
I hope you're open to carrying this knowledge with you.
What people say about you is none of your business.
