Our greatest flaw as humans is caring too much about what other people think of us. We are too afraid to make good decisions and take opportunities because we fear we will be judged, thought “uncool” or deemed unworthy in the eyes of others. Here’s on why we shouldn’t care as much.


We become obsessed with something that someone said to us and forget that it is just their opinion and opinions can be wrong. Why should we let some other person’s opinion determine how we live our lives? Reality check - there’s always going to be critics and there’s always going to be people that don’t like what you do and try to pull you down, so we need to not take it personally but instead think for ourselves. People may be jealous that they can’t achieve the same success that you have or have the same dreams that you have. They may be small-minded and have conformed to a way of thinking that just doesn’t match with yours. Simply though, that doesn’t mean that you must give a negative unconstructive comment the time of the day.


Don’t be lulled into obsession with the number of likes/comments on your social media. The decision to tap a screen or say something quick is so simple and shouldn’t control your own sense of self-worth. The number of likes you have does not make you more or less of a person, nor does it show how loved you are. If you stress about your social media presence, please go talk to someone and work on self-love. Celebrate the fact that you exist and think uniquely. In the end, we shouldn’t place that much value on these one-second choices that others make to double-tap a screen.

So many people put on a lovely show for others on social media platforms, treating it like a stage. And we are all aware of this. People only show what they want others to see, the highs of life, but there are always just as many lows that are not showcased in the same way. There is so much more to life beyond these small, captured moments online, so why bother caring too much about how embraced our own posts are?


If you feel like you are unable to speak openly with someone or a group because you will be judged, you probably need to rethink your relationships. If people think your ideas or motivations are silly, don’t give up completely. You lose so much if you stop trying because someone told you that you couldn’t do it. When I was in year 12, this boy told me I wouldn’t be able to get the marks to do engineering without a tutor and that it was so stupid of me to think otherwise. I didn’t listen to what he said, instead backed myself and look how that turned out.

I feel comfortable talking about mostly anything in public. Sometimes people I am with say we shouldn’t speak about taboo topics out in the open in case someone hears us, and this confuses me. Why does it matter what a random passerby thinks of my conversation with a trusted friend? They aren’t involved and their opinion of me does not affect me in the slightest. I value a more engaging and raw discussion in any setting, and what a stranger thinks about it never should mean we lose the opportunity for connection or mending a bridge.


Don’t be fooled by the false sense of security that comes from doing what you “should” be doing. Just because you have been told that completing a certain degree is the best option or that taking a specific job is the right decision in the eyes of others, doesn’t mean it is suited to you. So many people I have met at university have explained that their degree makes someone else happy. Most of these types say they find their degree boring, dry, or unchallenging, but at least they are doing “the right thing”. I didn’t realise doing the right thing meant living a passionless life.

It is sad how many people have given up their exciting career dreams to please their family or friends, choosing the “safe” or “more respectable” option. It isn’t fair that others’ views of you should make you live a life that you don’t want. Live your life for you, not for the expectations of others. If your existence is dictated by the thoughts and feelings of others, you are never going to be happy. Your ideas and outlooks shouldn’t be benched. You can’t satisfy everyone, and it will feel like you are always chasing a level of perfection that is simply unattainable. Instead, chase what inspires you even if no one else understands – just do it.


We have been brainwashed by society every day to be like the majority, constantly striving to be “normal”. To me, the typical life presented to us is mediocre and suffocating. The immense pressures we place on one another to look a certain way and act as expected breeds average living. By attempting to satisfy the status quo, we ignore what we really want to be doing. If you really do want to have the top job, ultimate happiness, and a better than average life experience, you mustn’t be doing whatever everyone else is doing. If you give too much thought to what others tell you to do, where does this leave your own thinking?

Basically, living life for yourself instead of for others is the key path to success. It means you will have a clearer focus, stronger passion, and less fear. To be truly sincere and authentic, you can’t replace your attitudes and actions with that of another’s. Be responsible for who you are instead of being a mere combination of other people’s ideas. Refuse to be someone’s puppet.