What others think of you is none of YOUR business

What others think of you is none of YOUR business

It doesn't matter what people call you, at the end of the day, what matters the most is what you decide to answer to. I've had many criticisms and mean, nasty names given to me over the years; you're stupid, you're ugly, you're a maid, you're just a stupid Filipino, you're a bitch and so many more. Yes, at first it was very very tough to ignore those comments. There was a point in time when i actually believed them. I actually believed I was stupid, ugly and useless. But one day, I questioned myself, " Why are you letting other people define who you are?? Fine, they know your name but do they know what you've been through? Do they know your identity?? Do they know you from deep within??"

That's when I realized that I needed nobody's opinion except my own. I need not the compliments of others to make myself feel better. I also need not the criticisms of others to bring me down. Their opinions aren't any of my concern.

So whenever I get criticized, I would simply remember my identity, what I would answer to. The secret to be free from criticism, gossip, judgment, doubt and the opinion of others is HUMILITY.
Not humiliation. That helps no one.

I used to not know the difference between the two words until I read a book. It said

Humility is perpetual quietness of heart. It is to have no trouble. It is to never be fretted or vexed, irritable or sore; to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised, it is to have a blessed home in myself where I can go in and shut the door and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace, as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and about is seeming trouble

Perpetual quietness of the heart. To be at peace with oneself. That is what i truly want in life. To be at peace when nobody praises me. That's true freedom
Life isn't a performance, a popularity contest or a conquest for clothes, praise, awards, titles and degrees. In the end, would it all matter? Would you bring all those with you after death? No. George Straight sang a song saying that we don't bring anything with us, and we can't take anything back to our maker.

One way to stay focused on what truly matters is to create a personal mission. A personal mission statement upon which you would truly base your life on. For me, I spent a few hours a day in reflection. I close my eyes and think about what I would want my life to have meant at the end.

I am simply a child of god, as valuable and treasured as every other child of god. More precious than all the riches of the earth. Not the best, not the worst and it doesn't matter what anyone thinks of me.