Stand Alone
Mykim Tran, PhD
Humanistic Psychologist | I Help Individuals Create Meaning and Purpose | Keynote Speaker | Inspirational Leader | Author
You need to be comfortable being by yourself, and to take the initiative to take action on what you believe will bring you happiness; even though no one agrees with you or is on your side. You have to have the courage to stand alone. Remember, you are creating your own lifestyle, and not everyone will agree with every step you take because it is not their lifestyle that you are creating. This is especially important in the beginning when no one believes in you. That is why having high self-esteem is so important because it will give you the courage to believe in yourself and help you to move forward.
When you can stand alone and believe that you do not need anyone else’s approval, then you are free to act and behave in any way that makes you happy and helps you to create your own lifestyle. The only reason why we might want others’ approval is because we are not comfortable with being by ourselves. We believe that we need other people in our lives. When you do not have high self-esteem, you have a higher chance of falling back and doing what others are saying and neglecting your own path of life. When that happens, you will encounter a lot of suffering.
You should learn how to be your own best friend. Support yourself like you are supporting a friend. Be there for yourself and take care of yourself as if you are taking care of someone you love. Learn how to appreciate and spend time with yourself, just as you appreciate and enjoy spending time with a friend. In addition, when you enjoy spending time with yourself it is an opportunity for you to reflect on what bring you happiness. However, if you are always surrounded by people you are busy interacting with them, which means you do not have time to reflect on yourself.