“What will they think…?”
Shared by Breanne Smedley
“Do you have any tattoos?”
A student asked me yesterday. A few others nearby stopped their conversations to try to eavesdrop on my answer.
“Nope, nothing!” I responded, to their disappointment.
He went on to tell me about the tattoos he was going to get, when he turned 18.
A phrase his dad always told him growing up, “Know Your Worth,” and a rose, because it’s his mom’s favorite flower.
So special!
The truth is, I’ve always secretly wanted a tattoo.
Something simple, on the outer edge of my left wrist.
I’ve never done it though, for various reasons.
I can’t decide exactly what I want.
I worry that I might not like it in a few years, then be stuck with it.
But the main reason, the one subconsciously trumps them all is:
What will they think?
I’m not even sure who “they” are.
Random people who may see it?
My friends, family?
Will they think it’s stupid?
Will they think I’m just trying to be somebody I’m not?
Better just live within the identity I’ve created for others.
The non-tattooed identity.
When I say it outloud, I see how silly that is.
But, I see how it’s played out in other areas.
When becoming a mom, flashes of “what will they think” would run through my mind.
Decisions about where Charlee sleeps.
What we feed her.
What we allow, and don’t allow her to do.
Still breastfeeding after a year…people will think I’m some sort of hippy mom who just doesn’t want her baby to grow up!
Then, into starting a business.
What will my colleagues think if they find out I’m doing something besides teaching?
What will other coaches think, when I eventually expand into the business of teaching others how to develop team culture?
Will they think I’m not qualified?
Will they talk about me behind my back?
Again, writing these thoughts and saying them outloud makes me want grab my own shoulders and look myself in the eyes and scream…
“WHO CARES?!”
I read a quote the other day that said,
“You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.”
Living a life based on what I *think* other people think is a really great way to limit myself and keep me small.
And the realization that puts it all into perspective is this:
When I get to the end of my life, I don’t want to wonder.
Wonder what impact I could have made, if only I followed my own heart and calling.
Rather than wondering “what will they think?”
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#DaringlyResilient
#MindfullyEvolving
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