Opinions, Opinions, Opinions…

"Don't let someone else's opinion of you become your reality." - Les Brown

I thought I’d start something new around here. For a while I have been doing a somewhat weekly quote over on social media. I’ve really appreciated the exercise of searching out meaningful words to stop and think about.

Lives can get so fast paced that we focus heavily on what’s in front of us. Having a quote of the week for me has allowed me to take a moment to stop and regroup and remind myself how important mindset truly is on our our daily mental health.

So let’s get into it!

This week’s quote hits hard. We've been talking about friendships and opinions a lot since things started back up this fall. Getting into these pre-teen years, my daughter is noticing a lot more about what people think of her. She's noticing when she's being included, and when she's not. She's worried someone won't like how her hair looks or what she's wearing.

And I'm not going to lie, it breaks my heart a bit that those are where her thoughts are going. I know in social situations she's hearing a lot more talk of what people are wearing (including shades of lipstick... which, come on, they're 10!), the latest social media trends and more.

I've noticed more time spent in front of the mirror and more talks questioning who she is. Thankfully, we have a very open line of communication and she doesn't have access to social media which I feel would lead to her questioning herself even more.

We have near daily talks as she is getting ready to go somewhere, or trying to get her hair just right, or worrying about something else that may pop up. My favorite question to ask back to her when she asks my opinion about something is, "How does it make YOU feel?"

Every single time, I see her stop to consider that. When she tells me she likes it, I come back with, "Does it matter what I think then? You are happy and that's what's important."

Instilling that sense of doing things for yourself and to make yourself happy is one of the biggest life lessons I’ve learned - and took me decades to get there. I'm doing everything I can to teach my kiddo that her own happiness and opinion of herself matters more than anything anyone else can say.

So the next time you’re questioning yourself over something because you’re worried about someone else’s opinion, stop and remind yourself that the only opinion that truly matters is your own.

- Lots of love,

Nikki