Don't worry about what other people think; it's often not what you think it is anyway.
I've always loved Brene Brown's words that what other people think of you is none of your business. That has stuck with me from the moment I read it.
Wild women (and men) who live authentically from their hearts pushing norms and challenging society are going to piss people off. Plain and simple. I've learned to accept over the years that that's ok.
When I first started sharing my writing, the deep stuff, the level of vulnerability I felt was terrifying. I've been a writer all my life, from the moment I learned how to put words together on paper. But in my adults years with going to business school and then working in marketing, my writing took a turn.
It became mechanical and sales-focused. There was always a pitch and it was always written with a client in mind. That kind of writing was slowly killing me inside because the more I wrote marketing copy for other people, the less tuned in I became to my own inner voice. And when you write for other people all day long, the last thing you feel like doing is going home and writing some more.
When I heard my calling and left the corporate world, I had the opportunity to bring life back to my own words and share them on my platform. One part of me wanted to write and share so badly and the other part felt physically ill by the level of exposure and vulnerability that created.
So it became a practice in vulnerability. In breaking down my own walls, showing up, and showing myself. I created all kinds of stories in my head about everything from people will hate it to no one will read it. I kept having to remind myself that it didn't matter what other people thought. I was doing it for me. And if it helped or inspired even one person in the process, then my work was done.
I've come a long way in the years since I started, but it's interesting how those vulnerability pains can still sometimes be there. When I write pieces that potentially push the envelope or expose myself too much, I think, "Oh, Danette, this one might be too far."
I acknowledge those parts of me, and I proceed. And the most curious things happen. Those pieces that my mind says are pushing the envelope...
Those are the ones that are typically best-received, the ones that land the deepest for people. And that's pretty cool if you ask me.
Vulnerability is beautiful. Showing up, being real, and sharing from your heart is a super power. Never worry about what other's think. Being you is never wrong, even if it pisses some people off.