3 Generations Later

Overemphasized feelings of how much other people care about and pay attention to what you do lead so many people to doubt themselves. The belief that everyone else has their eyes on you is what stops so many people from acting. This belief paralyzes people in their tracks or causes them to never get started in the first place. Establishing a basis of self-confidence helps in removing these personal inhibitors you place upon yourself. If you want to do something, you should do it. You should not default to what that random person looking at you will think. You should not feel pressured to act the way that will impress people who follow you on social media. But saying you “should not” is much easier than living this practice. These words on this paper will not make you instantly disregard how much you care about the opinions of others. But new perspectives on this topic can help lead you to the path of acting for yourself, not the approval of others.

In 3 generations’ time everyone who knew you, knew of you, and heard of you, will not be on Earth anymore. This theory holds true for 99.9% of the world’s population. If you are part of the 0.01%, chances are you are already acting without a need to impress everyone. Chances are, that is part of why you are in the 0.01%. For everyone else, this perspective forces you to zoom out and realize each of our relative insignificance. After your grandchildren pass away, there is a high chance no one will remember you or anything you did. In the billions of years of our universe, roughly three centuries is such an insignificant amount, a mere grain of sand out of all of the beaches in the world. Don’t live your life for the approval of others, live it for yourself.

The actor Tom Holland changed to handle criticism better after hearing a Christian Bale quote. Bale said, “If you have a problem with me, text me. And if you don’t have my number, you don’t know me well enough to have a problem with me.” There are only so many people in your life that you should truly care about what they think of you. Then in 3 generations, all of those people and any memory of them will be gone. 3 generations down the line it won’t matter if you caved to the opinions of others or pursued what you wanted to do. Your time is finite. Use your time for yourself and quit succumbing to the drowning feelings of trying to impress everyone around you. Opt for the life and choices that fulfill you now.