Worrying Doesn't Help

 

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Worrying Doesn’t Help

It’s natural to worry about what people think of you. But I feel it is more important for one to know who and what you yourself are. The worrying about what other people think about you happens when you yourself are not sure of who you are. This problem becomes acute when your sense of well-being is tied up in the opinion of others. You’re effectively giving up your own power and letting others dictate your life!

We worry about our family, our job, how to earn more, our home, what vehicle to buy, what dress to wear, about latest gadgets and so on only to abandon them when we reach our destination. That is because we cannot take them with us. We don’t realise in our life’s journey that these are just burdens we are carrying with utmost care for fear of losing them, only to find that at the end they are all useless as we have to leave them behind.

If you take a close look at spiritual Masters, none of them are bothered about what people think about them, that is because they are always centred in their own being – they ‘know’ who they are. When I see people let go of the need to seek approval from others, that makes me feel really good. Because that is one of the key signs of emotional maturity.

Osho always said, “No-one knows what’s best for you but yourself.” Just remember that nobody can say anything about you. Whenever they do, it is a reflection of what they are saying about themselves. But then you become very shaky, because you are still clinging to a false center. And that false center depends on others, so you are always looking to what people are saying about you. You worry about your image in the eyes of other people. And because you worry you try to live up to your false image by always trying to satisfy such people. You are always trying to be respectable; you are always trying to decorate and embellish your ego. This is crazy, suicidal even. Rather than being disturbed by what others say, you should start looking inwards, inside yourself.

When you are self-conscious you are simply showing that you are not conscious of the self at all. You don’t know who you are. Had you known this, then there would have been no problem at all – then you would not have been seeking the opinion of others. Then you would not be worried about what others say about you – that itself would become irrelevant! Stop worrying…..find peace with what you have…..you will always be happy. Remain centred, remain blessed!