What’s one thing you know now that would have saved your younger self a lot of pain?

From talking with many other folks, I’ve learned that many of us were overly concerned about how others viewed us, from the size and shape of our bodies to the way we sounded when we spoke.  For me, life became a bit easier once I wasn’t concerned about what others might think about me.  

Might in that last sentence is an important part of this.  As a younger person, I remember thinking I knew what people thought about me. Sometimes someone would say a cruel word that backed up my belief, but most of the time I had no real clue what most people around me thought.  I didn’t or wouldn’t see the nonverbal acceptance of who I was.  

As I’ve aged, I have come to realize that people who feel the need to be cruel in their words and actions are usually uncomfortable with who they are.  So they put others down to deflect what they see as their own shortcomings. 

The lesson to my younger self is to be happy with who you are.  Don’t waste time and energy worrying about what others think of you, as people who like you will be drawn to you.