We all have times in our life we feel those we love just don’t “get” us. There was an event that was particularly important we were going to be attending, a project that had taken great effort and expectation, or a relationship had meant far more to you than anyone appreciated. The recognition was totally insufficient.
Those times take us back to root issues. Our need to be appreciated and recognized come to the forefront and our heart feels as if someone took a dagger to it, slicing a chunk out, leaving us to grasp for something, anything, to stop the pain and bleeding. We may have stepped out of our comfort zone to try something out of character and felt extremely vulnerable which made the lack of acknowledgement overwhelming. Not just because our efforts weren’t applauded, but because we had pushed ourselves out there in an attempt to become better, different, more significant, and possibly more like “them”.
The bigger picture here if you’ll step outside of yourself for a few minutes is this. It is not about what anyone else thinks about our efforts and what we have achieved. It is what we think, feel and accept about ourselves that brings the inner peace. They are an easy source of gratification, if you’re lucky, or a source of pain, if that’s what you’re used to receiving. What you have to determine is how long do you want to bank your happiness on others who are banking their happiness on others as well?
Why is their opinion of you better than yours? If you think it is worthy of someone else experiencing it then you have already appreciated your work, your efforts, and the value of your skill and time. So actually the need of someone else to carry the balance of your worth is a bit unnecessary.
If we have listened to our inner voice, our intuition, and followed the path we are to take, the outcome will be as it should be. No need of approval is necessary for you have done as intended and all is as it should be.
Owning our own growth and development of talent, skills and effort is a precious gift we are due. While it is nice to have others appreciate us and our talent, it is our own appreciation and respect that is most precious at the end of the day.
