,"It is only through the eyes of others that our little lives have any significance. When there is no one who sees you and no one who will look at you, it is as if you don't even exist"
I stumbled upon this quote the other day which had me wondering. Generally I admire selflessness and try to motivate myself by love and reward myself for putting in work and giving without attention or recognition (The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no-one is watching). I try to stay away from acting solely to feed my ego and make myself look good but of course I know, I have an ego. I know its there talking into my ear everyday but I try not to listen to it and let it lead me astray. Along with that, I also try not to listen to the opinions of others as its extremely difficult to truly understand the intentions and context of others decisions and to truly know someone.
I tell myself that it doesn't matter what other people think. That by doing “the right thing” even if its unappreciated and unrecognized it will serve me in the long run, even if I can not tangibly see those rewards, even if people misunderstand my intentions or judge me for my actions.… but that's not always true. As the quote goes if no-one ever noticed you, you would feel like you don't exist and I believe that! If no-one ever spoke to me or even looked at me, I would be pretty bummed and feel isolated. Loneliness is quite a large factor in mental illness’ such as depression and a lot of people who commit suicide feel there is no-one for them to turn to. Whether that's true or not is a different conversation but that is how they feel. I feel alone at times and I'm sure a large amount of people do from time to time, its nothing to be ashamed of but its important to always put things in perspective.
Searching for worth through others eyes and social media is a fruitless venture. I think it will create a unquenchable thirst for attention. I think the key is surrounding yourself with people who align with the journey you are on, people that are there for you through thick and thin and people who have similar beliefs and values, people who bring joy and happiness into your life. For me, that's open-minded, supportive, loving, family + friend orientated, outgoing, adventurous, ambitious, fun, joyous, grateful, humble, hard working people… These are the people I want to be ‘seen by’.I have a close group of people who I truly care about and value their opinions. I admire this people for a variety of reasons and they all have some of the values listed above.These are the people who I want to spread joy to and be there for. These are the important ones for me.
I'm not saying other peoples opinions don't matter, but they should be taken lightly. If someone is tearing me down from afar. I do my best not to stress about it and continue on with my life, my values and being there for the important people. Chances are they are probably just misunderstanding or misinterpreting me or belittling others for their own sense of worth. I know the important people in my life will see me for who I truly am, sometimes they don't and that sucks but majority of the time, they know me well and know what I stand for. I think its important to try and repair issues if people are important to you and conflict arises but occasionally you may need to cut cords with people in your life that aren't helping you grow, move forward or generally bring joy into your life.
I can almost guarantee you always have people who are important and there are always plenty of people out there who you can add to your inner circle if you are open and pro-active.
Its super important to spread love and encouragement to all people though. Whether they show appreciation for it or not, it is a good thing. If they are in your inner circle and are important to you, you obviously want them to be happy, so help them 'be seen' and be there for them. If they are not in your inner circle you have no idea what they're going through and the stories they are creating in their heads. They may feel alone and a little gesture or word or praise can help them feel seen. Not everyone has the strength to block out the haters and love, encouragement and gratitude always feels good no matter who it's coming from.
So in short- life is pointless without people along for the journey, seek only to be ‘seen’ by the important people in your life and give love, encouragement and gratitude to everyone!
I stumbled upon this quote the other day which had me wondering. Generally I admire selflessness and try to motivate myself by love and reward myself for putting in work and giving without attention or recognition (The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no-one is watching). I try to stay away from acting solely to feed my ego and make myself look good but of course I know, I have an ego. I know its there talking into my ear everyday but I try not to listen to it and let it lead me astray. Along with that, I also try not to listen to the opinions of others as its extremely difficult to truly understand the intentions and context of others decisions and to truly know someone.
I tell myself that it doesn't matter what other people think. That by doing “the right thing” even if its unappreciated and unrecognized it will serve me in the long run, even if I can not tangibly see those rewards, even if people misunderstand my intentions or judge me for my actions.… but that's not always true. As the quote goes if no-one ever noticed you, you would feel like you don't exist and I believe that! If no-one ever spoke to me or even looked at me, I would be pretty bummed and feel isolated. Loneliness is quite a large factor in mental illness’ such as depression and a lot of people who commit suicide feel there is no-one for them to turn to. Whether that's true or not is a different conversation but that is how they feel. I feel alone at times and I'm sure a large amount of people do from time to time, its nothing to be ashamed of but its important to always put things in perspective.
Searching for worth through others eyes and social media is a fruitless venture. I think it will create a unquenchable thirst for attention. I think the key is surrounding yourself with people who align with the journey you are on, people that are there for you through thick and thin and people who have similar beliefs and values, people who bring joy and happiness into your life. For me, that's open-minded, supportive, loving, family + friend orientated, outgoing, adventurous, ambitious, fun, joyous, grateful, humble, hard working people… These are the people I want to be ‘seen by’.I have a close group of people who I truly care about and value their opinions. I admire this people for a variety of reasons and they all have some of the values listed above.These are the people who I want to spread joy to and be there for. These are the important ones for me.
I'm not saying other peoples opinions don't matter, but they should be taken lightly. If someone is tearing me down from afar. I do my best not to stress about it and continue on with my life, my values and being there for the important people. Chances are they are probably just misunderstanding or misinterpreting me or belittling others for their own sense of worth. I know the important people in my life will see me for who I truly am, sometimes they don't and that sucks but majority of the time, they know me well and know what I stand for. I think its important to try and repair issues if people are important to you and conflict arises but occasionally you may need to cut cords with people in your life that aren't helping you grow, move forward or generally bring joy into your life.
I can almost guarantee you always have people who are important and there are always plenty of people out there who you can add to your inner circle if you are open and pro-active.
Its super important to spread love and encouragement to all people though. Whether they show appreciation for it or not, it is a good thing. If they are in your inner circle and are important to you, you obviously want them to be happy, so help them 'be seen' and be there for them. If they are not in your inner circle you have no idea what they're going through and the stories they are creating in their heads. They may feel alone and a little gesture or word or praise can help them feel seen. Not everyone has the strength to block out the haters and love, encouragement and gratitude always feels good no matter who it's coming from.
So in short- life is pointless without people along for the journey, seek only to be ‘seen’ by the important people in your life and give love, encouragement and gratitude to everyone!