When Everyone Has an Opinion About What You’re Doing

Did you recently decide to start dating someone new? Move to a new city? Change your career or job?

Whatever it is, you decided to make a change, and everyone seems to have an opinion.

Your dad, best friend, that one client or customer you always chat with.

Despite not asking, people suddenly seem to feel they have a right to give you their opinion. They scowl or scoff, share their own personal experience, try to cloud your judgment with their preferences and beliefs. Generally, they dump on you in one form or another. It may not be intentional, but their biased opinion creates stress whether they mean it to or not.

So what are you supposed to do?

Not tell anyone anything? Become secretive and withdrawn? Not at all! I have a better solution.

How to Safeguard Yourself While Making Changes:

1. Create an Energy Bubble

We’re all highly energetic beings whether we’re aware of it or not. That’s why when someone responds negatively, we’re affected by it. Even if they’re attempting to be positive, that negative energy is still there, and we can still feel that something’s not right.

Before you go into a conversation with anyone, take a moment to check in with yourself. How are you feeling about this decision? Good? Energized? Excited? Awesome. Close your eyes and sit with those feelings. Really experience the positive energy and emotions. Now, imagine that all this energy is contained within a bubble around you. See yourself sitting there, smiling of course, with bright light swirling all around you. Contained. Within this bubble.

When you receive a response from someone, continue to feel those positive feelings, and imagine that their negative energy is bouncing right off that bubble you’ve created for yourself. It doesn’t have to impact you if you choose not to let it.

2. Detach Yourself from Their Response

Remember, their opinion is biased and is based completely on their personal preferences, background, experiences, and beliefs. So as long as you keep this on top of your mind, it’s impossible to take anyone’s word as gospel. The way they react is a reflection of them, not you.

Just because your parents are unsupportive, doesn’t mean it’s wrong for you. Only you can know what’s truly the next best move. Remember, that while they may love you, unless they support you 100% in doing what’s best for you, they’re more concerned about their needs, insecurities, or fear of the unknown then they are about what’s best for you.

3. Keep What Works for You; Discard the Rest

Always filter. Sometimes people manage to squeeze out some valuable information from an unbiased place or have some advice that is relevant and useful. Listen to their thoughts and discard what doesn’t work for you.

Maybe your mom brought up a good point about that career change, and you want to do a little research. Awesome. But her opinion of why she thinks you’re better off in your current job—irrelevant. How can she know? She can’t, because she’s not you.

Keep your intuition locked in when speaking with other people. You’ll know if a piece of information has value to you or not. Does it get you curious? Hit on an unknown you need more information around? Or does it just make you feel stressed out and unsupported?

4. Remember, You’re the Only One Who Matters

You are the only person who knows what’s best for you. It’s impossible for anyone else to know. No matter how much you share with them, they are not connected to your deepest desires, intuition, or hopes and dreams. Always, ALWAYS listen to yourself and what you want first.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Have you been in a situation like this before? How did other people’s decisions affect or influence what you decided to do, despite what you wanted? Leave a comment below sharing some of your own insights on this topic!

GalTime.com is an online magazine with one simple mission: to empower and entertain women. GalTime is founded on the belief that every article and video we publish should help women lead happier, healthier, more informed lives. GALTime content is derived from a large network of contributors who are a unique combination of highly respected and often award-winning experts in their own fields, and well-established bloggers who have created powerful social and viral networks.

*Photo by mark sebastian.