Happiness secrets

I often sit down at the laptop with no particular goal in mind and tour around the Internet in search of little gems that move me on an emotional level. Although those of you that spend some time cruising social media and the like may have potentially seen some of the posts that I've shared of late, I consciously choose to put them out there again in the off chance that they passed by your notice. I use an Apple app called Notes to store the ones that I really enjoy, and while I do make an effort to find the source of the inspiration, sometimes it just isn't possible. Like the case below, I share and give full credit to the author, whomever he/she may be.

As I said, this stirred my soul, and I feel strongly that moments like this should be shared.

Can I let you in on a little secret?

Not everyone likes you.
I mean, maybe not right now, but at some point in your life, there will be people that don’t like you.

People that don’t get you.
People that roll their eyes when you start speaking.
People that ignore you when you walk into a room.
People that won’t make room for you at their table.

Want to know another little secret?
It doesn’t matter. 

Not even a little.

You see, you aren’t here in this life to make everyone happy. 

You aren’t here to be everyone’s favourite. 

You aren’t here to be perfect. 

Everyone can’t be your focus.

And once you realize that truth and stop trying to understand why some people ice you out or talk behind your back or don’t like the sound of your voice, well that’s when you can really start living!

Next time you enter a room and start to panic about someone there not liking you, remember this secret ... 

It doesn’t matter.

The people that love you, they matter.
The things that bring you joy, they matter.
The values around which you build your life, they matter.

Even if you don’t matter to everyone, you matter to the important ones.
So, get out there and live your life. 

Let the haters fade into the background where they belong.

And let your true self shine bright.

It matters!

I can't count the number of conversations I have had about the folly of trying to please everyone and lending weight to the opinions of others. While I do feel there is a small part of me that values the opinions of those that hold value in my life, I can confidently state that the opinion of others is of little consequence to me because I am very comfortable in my own skin, have successfully developed a keen sense of who I am, and like the person born out of all of that. I know that makes me a bit of an outlier, and I dearly love some people that find ignoring the thoughts of the naysayers difficult, but IMHO there's a fine line drawn in the sand when it boils down to how much of the weight from other's opinions I'll choose to carry as I walk through this life.

I'm comfortable with me, and I feel strongly that I am happier because of it.