Imagine being scared to wear your own T-shirt because you’re worried what people will say or think about you.
I once designed a T-shirt. It featured a graphic of a tap shoe, with the words TAP IN to Your Full Potential appearing in the middle of the design.
But I was too scared to wear the shirt.
I was worried what people would say or think about me. I anticipated them whispering, “Who does she think she is?”
Time after time I would put it on and immediately take it off.
Finally, though, I wore the T-shirt in public and I lived to tell about it. And guess what? I was shocked not only by the number of compliments I received, but also by how many people wanted to order one.
I hadn’t planned on getting into the T-shirt business.
But saying yes to every person wanting my shirt led to just that.
And because of this business I learned about wholesale and retail shopping, inventory management, pricing, order fulfillment, invoicing, sales taxes, and shipping options.
People make assessments of other people all the time. It’s part of our nature.
In other words, you can’t stop someone from forming opinions about you.
But here’s something you can do:
Find balance between acknowledging those opinions and letting them affect you.
This is much easier to do if you keep the following three points in mind:
- It’s exhausting trying to mold your life around how other people perceive you.
- It’s impossible to please everyone—or to live up to everyone’s expectations.
- It’s unreasonable to worry over what people think about you—especially considering how seldom they actually do.
Place your energy into accomplishing what you know you can do.
“Imagine being scared to wear a T-shirt whose cool design you yourself created . . . all because you’re worried what “they” will say or think. Ridiculous.” ~ LaurieTALKS
