What Do You Want? Lessons on People-Pleasing

How much of your life do you spend trying to please other people?

Rush to work so your boss doesn’t get mad.
Comb your hair the way she likes it.
Major in finance to get a steady job like your parents want.

I’d bet you are so well-versed at people-pleasing, that you:

A) don’t know you do it, and
B) don’t know what you want beyond it.

Because people-pleasing is built-in. It’s a safety hatch. A hole we fall into make sure we’ll be accepted and liked – that we’ll be loved and cared for by others.

But in the words of Scholar Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, “Well-behaved women seldom make history…”

You don’t have to want to start a revolution to benefit from building some boundaries.

Because the only way to feel satisfied in life – the only way to truly feel like you lived your own unique soul’s calling – is to live your life your way.

That means quitting if you need to quit.
That means dancing if you need to dance.
Writing, volunteering, connecting, studying, teaching. The list goes on.

Yes, it takes courage, but that’s the point. I’m fairly convinced this is life’s ultimate question:

Will you have enough faith in yourself to believe that you’re meant to be you?

If your answer is yes, then start now. Lean into the exhilaration of following your own dreams, even if today that just looks like adding an extra spring to your step.

If your answer is no, then ask yourself – when will you be willing to believe you are worth living for?

Then do what it takes to see being you through.

Because you only get one shot this time around.

Be free. Be brave. Be YOU!

Love,
Alexis