Should you care what people think about you?

This is a question I have struggled with most of my life. From childhood, I was so concerned with what people thought about me, and more so what my reputation and image was in front of others. From the beginning, I’ve put a lot of weight on what the image of my family was. It was so important to me that my family had respect , and a good image. That is one of the core reasons that I’ve always thought it is essential to keep my own integrity, not only for myself but for the people that are connected to me.

As I grew older, I stopped caring as much what others thought, and gradually the image of myself, to myself, started deteriorating. This was a point in my life where I used to smoke, it was a disgusting habit that has passed with his grace. I started to think it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks, why should I care? I forgot about my childhood intent, my true inspiration. Only with hardship was I able to come closer to my original pure child self (which is still in the works), which cared enough about what others thought, because it maintained my family’s image.

I realize now that it in fact is most important what YOU think about yourself. What strikes me is that when you care what others think about you, it helps to keep your decorum in tact. Which is a subconscious boost to your own self-image and persona. Always, keep your self image high and protect the reputation of your family.