What will they think of me

No matter where you belong to, we all face this situation at some point when we start thinking about others instead of being ourselves, and our minds get flooded with depressing questions like;

1. What will they say

2. What will they think of me?

3. Will it be ok to do this 

These, along with many others, are the questions that make us question ourselves(even if we are doing the right thing).

Well, I am sure if I ask you guys, most of you, with just a little effort, will be able to recall situations where you stopped yourself from doing something good just because of the fear that others will perceive you as a "show off" or something. Well, that's what happens when you keep thinking about others( what will they say) more than usual.

Having said that; I am not implying that thinking what others will think or say is wrong; In fact, sometimes, it really helps you out when you are in a situation you are not sure about what to do. Because, as humans, we are not perfect, we are always in need of advice and suggestions to help us out, but turning this "need" into "dependency", that is what makes things worse. 

Needing others(to give you suggestions) isn't wrong; that's the whole purpose we humans, live in societies; because we need each other. But, ignoring what we want just because of what others will say; is.

I have got a story as an example to show you what happens when you blindly keep thinking and doing what others say without even reviewing it.

So let's start 

Note: This story wasn't in English in the first place. But, I translated it in my own words because it was defending my point. Please ignore any translation mistakes.

Long before, when there were no vehicles and aircraft etc. People used to travel on foot or animals like horses, camels (and in some cases) donkeys. This story is also about those times.

Story:

This story is about a father and son who had to travel a long way to reach their destination, and there were about three villages to come in their way. And the only ride they had was a donkey, so they started their journey. 

Till their first stop(village-1), both of them were riding on the donkey but, when they reached the village; The villagers started criticizing them, saying that; 

"Why both of you are riding on the poor donkey; don't you care about the burden it is carrying? "

This criticism made them feel guilty, and the father got off the donkey. And, when they left the village, the son was riding the donkey, and the father was walking by it.

They kept travelling in this position till they reached their second stop(village-2), But when they reached there. The criticism, all in its glory, was there to welcome.  And again, the people(of village-2) criticized the son by saying that; 

"Why are you riding, but your father is walking? Don't you have respect for your father?"

This criticism made the son feel guilty; he got off the donkey and asked his father to ride the donkey. 

And this time, when they left, the father was riding the donkey while the son was walking by it.

They maintained the same position till their final stop(Village-3),

And this time, they were expecting a warm welcome from the villagers because they had corrected every criticism made on them. 

But, you never know what gifts life has got for you. Unexpectedly, again, people there had a reason to criticize them.

This time, they criticized the father by saying that;

"How can you be so cruel that your poor son is walking by the donkey, and you are riding on it?"

After this criticism, both the son and the father travelled the whole way, walking with the donkey till they reached their destination.

And here, the story ends with a nice moral. 

Well, when I read this story, the only thing that came to my mind was that;

"They were lucky to have only three villages in their way instead of four or more; because if there were, they might have been carrying the donkey on their backs till their destination. "

Coming back to the discussion;

I am sure you liked the story and got a lesson from it. 

People don't know you, neither they have an idea of what you have been through or what are your intentions towards a specific action. They only advise or criticize you based on their observations, 

So, they can be right, 

but can be wrong as well. 

Conclusion: 

Never ignore what others say; take all of their suggestions into your account. But the last call should be yours; Because you are the one who's going to face the consequences of your decisions.

So, here it comes to an end. 

I hope this article will help you in some way.

Feel free to use the comment box if you got any suggestions, questions or anything for me.

Don't forget to hit the like and subscribe button if you liked this article. Again, I am just suggesting, REMEMBER! "The last call is always yours".

Thanks for being here.