This was so well articulated, Mark! Also super relatable. My favorite bit: 'You are willing to trade authenticity for approval. I am no longer willing to make that trade.'
I resonated with this — wanting to please the adults in my life because I got the compliments and the validation, which I grew up to be needing a lot to function. My life was dictated so much by what others thought was appropriate that I never really asked what I wanted to do. I still don't know the answer to that question though, it changes from time to time. I still find myself thinking from other people's lenses, old habits die hard, but I'm working on it.
This was so well articulated, Mark! Also super relatable. My favorite bit: 'You are willing to trade authenticity for approval. I am no longer willing to make that trade.'
Love this …. And articulated better than I could have done
I resonated with this — wanting to please the adults in my life because I got the compliments and the validation, which I grew up to be needing a lot to function. My life was dictated so much by what others thought was appropriate that I never really asked what I wanted to do. I still don't know the answer to that question though, it changes from time to time. I still find myself thinking from other people's lenses, old habits die hard, but I'm working on it.
Thank you for writing this :)