I recently asked myself why I do what I do and like the things I like. This is based on the book I just finished reading, and you’ll be surprised at how externally dependent my reasons were. I’ll spare you the details, but we’re here to recalibrate, so shall we?

There’s one thing I need to make clear first: people’s perceptions of you and what you think they think of you are very different. You can reread it because it sounds pretty confusing. Do you get it now? Cool. So, we spend a lot of time analyzing; we’re the most advanced species, so that’s a given. But we also spend too much time overanalyzing.

That’s the root of our problems, but the main problem is that we don’t think it is. Most of your thoughts are conditioned, and you must continually reassess them. You didn’t come into the world with all the knowledge you have now; you learned it. You have built your beliefs and values on this data, and it is almost impossible to see otherwise.

This brings me to a common lie about what determines your worth. It is not by how much people love you, what you own, or what they think of you but only by what you think it is. You believe the measure of success or happiness is the metrics social media has put in place, so you’re constantly miserable because it just isn’t adding up.

Because of this lie, you design your life to fit into the image that you perceive yourself to be to other people. You need to include one crucial factor: what you think they think is based on how you think. So, for instance, I say you look beautiful. You think – she says I look beautiful, so she must think I am; therefore, I am beautiful. Then, each time you see me, you can only be beautiful and nothing else.

First, you do not think you are, so your thought process will be to seek validation to give yourself permission to be beautiful. Secondly, you judge yourself based on my beauty standard, and your actions will be measured by whether or not I think they are beautiful.

Do you see how flawed that is? I hope so. No one’s perception has any power over you. You’re the one who chooses how you let it define you. I don’t write because you think I’m a blogger or writer and I interrupt your Mondays. I write because I want to call myself one without feeling like I don’t deserve it. If you suddenly stop thinking I am not, is that the end for me? Or if the standard of success is owning a business, does that mean corporate workers are failures? What truly matters is you and your thoughts, not anyone else’s.

Have a you-motivated week 🥰 and enjoy this song by Chelsea Cutler – Your Bones.