You Don’t Need Other People’s Approval

As a human, you’re wired for connection. You’re social by design, drawn to community, craving feedback, and built to thrive in relationships. A kind word, a thumbs up, or a “you crushed that!” can feel like emotional sunshine: a warm hug for your self-esteem.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying praise (who doesn’t love a “cute dress!” or a “get that pincha!” mid-flow?). But when your self-worth starts depending entirely on outside applause, it gets dangerous. If every decision, yoga pose, or Instagram caption needs a stamp of approval to feel valid, you're tying your value to a moving target.

And when you're too focused on what other people think, you pay a steep price.

You start molding yourself into someone you think others will like. You shrink. Your inner light dims. You hide the most vibrant, expressive, weird, magical parts of yourself, because you fear rejection or judgment.

You pay the price of constantly looking outward for proof that you're doing okay, that you're lovable, that you’re enough.

So let’s pause and remember…

Your Worth Isn’t Up For Debate.

It’s not up to your boss, your parents, or the person in class who floats into handstand like a mystical yoga unicorn (while you're still aiming for the wall) to decide your worth. You were born with it.

You’re not broken or behind. You’ve just forgotten how to shine your inner light bright enough to illuminate the road ahead.

You are the creator and navigator of your own life map. But every time you seek approval from others, you hand over the steering wheel (and end up walking a path that was never meant for you). The truth? Only you know how to read your inner compass and steer it toward your true direction. 

Because when you chase approval, you trade authenticity for likeability. You smile when you want to scream. You say “I’m fine” when you’re anything but. You bury your joy to keep everyone else comfortable.

But your life wasn’t meant to be a performance.
It was meant to be a homecoming.

People-Pleasing Is Exhausting.

It’s a full-time acting gig with no benefits and no lunch break. You’re constantly rewriting your script depending on who’s in the room. Meanwhile, your real emotions (joyful, messy, and human) get stuffed down. Eventually, they spill out: usually in savasana. Or in a sudden face-plant followed by unexpected tears or screams.

Hiding your real self doesn’t just zap your energy, it affects your health. Chronic stress, burnout, and a lack of deep relationships are all symptoms of a life lived on mute. And the irony? You can’t build real connections while pretending to be someone else.
 

Living this way is like being underwater and waiting for someone to hand you an oxygen tank, when you could just swim to the surface and breathe for yourself.

Stop asking for permission to be you. Let people love the real, unfiltered, slightly-chaotic-but-deeply-awesome version of you.

Most people are too busy worrying about themselves.

Truly. We’re all trapped in our own version of the spotlight effect, imagining everyone is watching our every move. But in reality? No one is obsessing over your headstand, your face-plant, or for how many breaths you can hold your crow pose.

They’re just trying not to fall on their own faces.

We’re all wobbling on the mat of life, trying to stay upright. So let go of the imaginary audience and turn your gaze inward.

So I ask you now...

Where in your life are you waiting for someone else’s permission to [insert-absolutely-anything-you’ve-been-holding-yourself-back-from-doing-or-being]?

Where are you waiting for a nod of approval before you show up fully as yourself?

You don’t need permission.
You don’t need applause.
And you definitely don’t need to shrink.

Stop paying the price of playing small just because someone else might not get it.

You weren’t made to be subtle.
You were made to be real.
To be free.
To be fully expressed.

And that doesn’t need anyone’s approval.