We cannot control what others may choose to think of us. What we can control are our actions, reactions, and self- approval. Worrying about what others think takes us away from our own center and deters us from living in harmony with our goals.

Look within to find your true value. The whole world may think us remarkable, but that does not necessarily make us so. We need to look deep within ourselves to find our true worth, to determine whether we are living in harmony with our best and noblest wishes for ourselves and for others.

Similarly, just because someone else says we are no good does not make us so.

Listen to everyone but make your own decisions. There is no harm in listening to others, but ultimately we need to trust our own abilities to make decisions. A useful aid to decision-making is to examine how your decision adheres to your goals and purpose.

My late colleague Dr. Wayne Dyer sums it up beautifully: “All those who have ever made a difference in any profession have listened to the inner music they heard and proceeded independent of the opinions of others. That was certainly true of one of my favorite nonconformists, Henry David Thoreau, who walked to the beat of a different drum and followed the beliefs of his conscience. He knew that the beat you hear within yourself is your connection to your soul’s purpose.”