10. Don’t be afraid of other people’s empty judgments.
“The greatest and most gratifying experiences in life cannot be seen or touched. They must be felt with the heart from the inside out. There’s nothing more inspiring than the complexity and beauty of human, heartfelt feelings. Sadly though, many people let the fear of judgment numb and silence them. Their deepest thoughts and feelings often go unspoken, and thus barely understood.
Do NOT let people invalidate or minimize how you feel. If you feel something, you feel it and it’s real to you. Nothing anyone says has the power to invalidate that, ever. No one else occupies your body, or sees life through your eyes. No one else has lived through your exact experiences. And so, no one else has the right to dictate or judge how you feel. Your feelings are important. Never let anyone or any circumstance lead you to believe otherwise.
Remind yourself that there is a great freedom in leaving others to their opinions, and there is a huge weight lifted when you take nothing personally.”
This is a great last part of this series of posts I’ve been sharing. It is so validating to me to read this and I’ll tell you why.
When I published my book on divorce recovery and “survival” as a newly single woman, one of the first points I tried to get across to my readers was “your feelings are YOUR feelings”. Don’t ever let people judge you or tell you HOW to feel, and WHEN to feel and WHAT to feel.
People are always going to try to tell you what to do, when to do it, how to do it, how THEY would do it, and so on.
Friends and family (one hopes) want what’s best for you – that’s great. However, you have to walk the path of your life yourself, in the way that you feel is best for you. You’re going to make some people mad; you’re going to receive some criticism both behind your back and to your face. You may have to live with knowing you’ve disappointed those who are closest to you . . .
Let it roll off like water on a duck’s back.
If we’re trying to be the best version of ourselves this year, then we need to listen to our hearts.
Can you hear it?
suddenlysinglewomen 