At one point or another, we all say, “I don’t care what anybody thinks.” Typically, we might express the sentiment when we’re under the stress of scrutiny and/or following an unpopular course. And if you’re anything like me, you are indeed concerned with what others think as you utter those very words!
So, why do outside opinions matter to us? I’m not qualified to give the various psychological reasons, and that’s not the purpose of this post. That said, I’d chalk it up to the fact that humans have a social need, even if you’re introverted. We want to be liked and accepted, and other people’s opinions of us dictate that. As I discussed in Influencers: A Trend Long Before Social Media, there’s no shame in being influenced, so long as you ensure it’s the right kind of influence.
Likewise, outside opinions from the right sort of people can really benefit you. They can keep you in check and end up sparing you from unpleasant consequences. On other occasions, they can motivate you to do something you wouldn’t have thought up on your own.
For the majority of my life, the word opinions had a negative conation. Due in part to my disability, I faced a slew of opinions long before I knew how to spell it. Regardless of whether someone had a handicapped loved one or not, everybody had ideas on my treatment or my choices. At times, I honestly felt like a breathing complaint/suggestion box! While there were plenty of unhelpful, even hurtful opinions that came our way, some improved my life in a multitude of areas.
This past week, I was reminded of another way opinions can impact you for the better. After sitting out the last few seasons because of the pandemic, I finally returned to my alma mater for a football game. I had the opportunity to visit with old classmates and teachers, ones who have always taken the time to truly see me—and actually end up seeing the best in me.
It made me realize how having others manifest a good opinion of you can give you a better opinion of yourself. We’re usually our own worst critic, and we all have one associate or more who can make us feel even lousier. Being around people who believe in you, however, boosts your self-esteem, and their high opinion of you can be contagious.
With this in mind, it also drives home the effect our opinion of others may have on them. We might not say it to a person’s face, but if we present that we foster a bad viewpoint of someone, his/her self-worth may well sink low. At certain points in my life, people who seemed to disapprove of me gave me the stubborn mindset of, “If you’re going to treat me like a rotten egg, I’ll go ahead and act like a rotten egg!” Hence, we ought to try to cultivate favorable views of people, in hopes it’ll inspire them to be the type of individual we consider them to be.
As all of us know, there’s simply no way of avoiding opinions, including our own. True, certain people and occasions call for us to disregard a viewpoint that’s expressed. In many cases, though, we’ll find advantages in giving them due consideration. Just like separate and unique ingredients can be mixed together to make a delicious dish, we can reflect on outside opinions and combine the right ones to help us develop delightful qualities.
KarinaBartow.com 
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