The Fear In Being Yourself

Sometimes we can become so concerned with what other people are thinking, what they think about us. And it's more difficult for some than others, to accept the fact that there are some people out there who just aren't going to like you no matter what you do. Not everyone is going to get along with you or even want to. And not everyone is going to understand or accept whatever message you have to tell them and they have every right not to.

Being concerned with what others think about us is rooted in fear and a fear of rejection and for some people it can really hold them back from expressing their true selves and what they really want to say or do. It can be challenging to ignore the inner dialogue that's trying to persuade you that a certain idea is stupid and to move against that overwhelming feeling and to take the chance on accepting the vulnerability and the potential to reap (or for others to reap) positive rewards by taking that chance.

Whether it's a film, a song, a book, a painting, an opinion piece, an invention, we never know what is going to strike a chord with someone else, possibly bring some sort of value to their life (entertainment, knowledge etc) or improve the standard of living for potentially many people around the world or many who are still to come.

Innovation quite often is rooted in creativity and can improve upon what we know and the way we do things now, but people first need to take the chance in thinking different and trying something outside of the box. That can be difficult and has been difficult for many people who have walked that path.

And it isn't only creative innovations in the way of technology that can change our world for the better but so too can thoughtful songs and paintings, stories, articles, and films etc, they can bring us joy, comfort, and even make us reflect on our surroundings and our reality. And when it comes to a number of issues facing society, they first need to be faced and acknowledge before they can be changed.

We have seen from previous psychological experiments, like the Ash conformity experiments, that it gets really tough to go against the flow. If everyone around you keeps saying that 2+2=5, I am thankful for those who have the courage to say otherwise.

Because it is so difficult for people to go against those feelings of fear and to try and take the chance on exploring their creativity, I cannot see such vulnerability as a weakness. It takes strength to put yourself out there, to be honest with people and to share your thoughts and ideas with them, after all you are taking the chance that they will think you're stupid, useless, and wrong etc. The more that people know about you, the more opportunity they have to judge you. But we already know that people aren't going to like everything that we have to say nor are they going to like us. And whatever you do, people are going to judge anyways, so should we let fear of their judgements stop us?

You could just kept quiet and opt for the seemingly safe route of going with the flow. But then quite often many will find that they don't feel like they are being true to themselves and that might be something that you can only sit comfortably with for so long. Our world has improved and can improve for the better thanks to those who are daring enough to take a chance on being different and doing things differently and it's refreshing to come across honesty in the sea of "fake news," also to see someone embracing their individuality (and creativity) rather than trying to be something they see everyone else being.

banner thanks to @son-of-satire

Pics:
Pixabay
Simpsons/ imgflip
gif
Alexander Street

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments