People will talk, let them.

“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” – Oscar Wilde 

There are two ways to live life – for your own fulfillment and satisfaction or for everyone else’s. The great majority of people strive for the approval of others, and it’s only natural. We look for the endorsement of family, friends, managers, colleagues and educators. It gives us confidence and peace of mind when the people who we value support our decisions.

When you choose to always agree with the people around you, they’ll never gossip about you, they’ll never put their hypothetical foot down. They just exist. And so do you. No one learns, no one grows. Everyone exists, comfortably.

When you finally decide to shift your life from satisfying everyone else, to finding personal fulfillment, there could be some backlash. And while being talked about both behind your back and in front of your face may not be ideal, at least you’re giving those people something to actually talk about. Could it be that they’re so tired of their monotonous lives that they must forcibly argue when faced with every difference of opinion?

At the end of the day, you may have chosen the harder road, the one where people don’t line up to congratulate you on doing everything in life the same way they did. But, the benefits of being self-confident and knowing who you are, far outweigh the temporary comfort of being liked by everyone. Don’t waste precious time living an unfulfilling life, devoid of true happiness and contentment, for fear of being talked about.