JudgeMENTAL CLARITY

Today I had no energy to write. I just felt lazy. And then, I thought about what people would think if I didn’t keep up with this blog. How would that be inspiring? With that realization in mind, I came up with my topic for the day: sometimes it is healthy to care what others think. It can motivate us. It can discourage us. Most of all, it keeps us questioning ourselves, and I believe that’s an important attribute to constantly have throughout life.  Obviously, we shouldn’t question every last detail; sometimes it’s better to just go ahead and pass that slow driver on route 9 instead of swaying backwards and forwards. But other times, it’s good to know what we’re getting ourselves into. And what better way than to imagine the out-coming opinions of others?

So, I present to you, healthy and conservative ways to benefit from “worrying” about what others think of you:

Exercise

My grandmother once told me she ‘admired the heck out of people who can run marathons’. She knows they’re bad-asses. And they are; running 26.2 miles is no easy feat, let alone 100 miles! If you’re like me and the only way to get yourself up and off the couch in the first place is to imagine a zombie apocalypse, then you know that running is actually really hard. Like super hard. I often have to focus on something close in distance and then run to that, or count to 25, then 50, then 100 and start over again. And it’s still hard! But, the results pay off. If people see me and say, wow, she’s got great legs, then mission accomplished. I also want to be tough. This is imperative of my career. I don’t want my clients to see me as a weakling who might break to pieces just by pressing my fingertips in their knotted muscles. I want them to think I’m strong and in shape, and thus, able to help them.

Calming Nature

Earlier today, I was so overwhelmed with the IRS and healthcare that I just knew I had to cry. I also knew I had a client coming in 20 minutes. I did not want to cry. But then, I really thought about it. People are very perspective, whether they know it or not. If I had been upset, I’m sure that client would have picked up on it and not wanted to have come back. She might have thought we had weird lighting or something else, but the origin of the discomfort would have been from my silenced urges to cry. So I took a few minutes, cried, then breathed and told myself it was going to be okay. I had to let it out in order to get it out.

Keeping Sharp

It’s not fun being the dumbest person at the table. I’ve had this before, and it sucks. Especially with politically obsessed friends who can act like asses while sprouting facts out of their trunks. (Get it?) I do however find that knowing even just a few (and sometimes even) short news stories can establish a stronger link in a relationship. It’s a great way to keep things interesting, and people will respect your opinion more if you have legitimate facts to base it off of. Also, you learn new things about your friends and most importantly yourself.

The truth is, at some point in our lives, everyone is acutely aware and cautious of what others think of them. It’s completely natural. Even the people who claim they don’t give a damn what anyone thinks are usually just about to perform some outrageous and ridiculous action that only goes to show just how much they do in fact care that everyone around them thinks they’re a total bad ass. I’ve done this on multiple occasions myself. I’m not saying we should always be nit-picky and freakishly aware of the people around us and how they’re reacting to our tutus and classic fedoras. Rather, I find it appropriate to allow a little judgement in our decisions. It keeps us sane.

So here it is, my third blog. Go ahead and judge; it’s for you.