insecurities
Lately I've been thinking about insecurities and how they affect the world.
I'm pretty sure everyone has some insecurities, at least on some level. Personally, I am pretty confident in who I am; I can acknowledge my faults without letting them define me, and I definitely know how to acknowledge my gifts and talents.
But despite my confidence, I also have insecurities. I'm often afraid to start up conversations with people because I wonder if they'll like me or if they'll just think I'm weird, and then even if they're nice to me, I might wonder if they're just being polite or if they genuinely like me. Why is stuff like that so much easier as a kid? Kids somehow know how to make friends so easily and they don't worry about what other people think--worrying about what other people think is a poor side effect of growing up, if you ask me.
Sometimes I take a step back and realize that everyone probably does what I do--that everyone probably spends way more time worrying about what other people are thinking about them than they spend thinking about those other people (feel free to let me know if you don't feel this way . . . I definitely don't want to generalize something just based on myself and then have it actually turn out to be true for only me ha :) ). And if that truly is the case, then no one really needs to be worrying at all, right? And if we could all stop worrying about how others perceive us, we might actually be able to turn outward, toward others.
I think that's why in my church (and probably other churches, too), there is such a focus on service. When you give service, you focus your energy on loving, helping, and lifting others. You aren't left with much time to worry about yourself. And I think that environments where everyone is trying to serve and give love are environments where people truly learn to be happy. Because in those kinds of environments, there's no need to compare or worry about someone else comparing; instead, you just get to focus on giving.
It's a big change though, whether for one person or for the whole world. So for now, I'll just be taking baby steps away from my insecurities and toward a more service-oriented future.
I'm pretty sure everyone has some insecurities, at least on some level. Personally, I am pretty confident in who I am; I can acknowledge my faults without letting them define me, and I definitely know how to acknowledge my gifts and talents.
But despite my confidence, I also have insecurities. I'm often afraid to start up conversations with people because I wonder if they'll like me or if they'll just think I'm weird, and then even if they're nice to me, I might wonder if they're just being polite or if they genuinely like me. Why is stuff like that so much easier as a kid? Kids somehow know how to make friends so easily and they don't worry about what other people think--worrying about what other people think is a poor side effect of growing up, if you ask me.
Sometimes I take a step back and realize that everyone probably does what I do--that everyone probably spends way more time worrying about what other people are thinking about them than they spend thinking about those other people (feel free to let me know if you don't feel this way . . . I definitely don't want to generalize something just based on myself and then have it actually turn out to be true for only me ha :) ). And if that truly is the case, then no one really needs to be worrying at all, right? And if we could all stop worrying about how others perceive us, we might actually be able to turn outward, toward others.
I think that's why in my church (and probably other churches, too), there is such a focus on service. When you give service, you focus your energy on loving, helping, and lifting others. You aren't left with much time to worry about yourself. And I think that environments where everyone is trying to serve and give love are environments where people truly learn to be happy. Because in those kinds of environments, there's no need to compare or worry about someone else comparing; instead, you just get to focus on giving.
It's a big change though, whether for one person or for the whole world. So for now, I'll just be taking baby steps away from my insecurities and toward a more service-oriented future.
That 'taking a step back' thing ties in with the theory of mind: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_mind
ReplyDelete"worrying about what other people think is a poor side effect of growing up, if you ask me." - Love this statement! Well I love this whole post actually. So much truth in here.
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you! :) It really is something that is just on my mind a lot, and I don't think this post even conveys everything I think about it, I just had to get something out there! Haha :)
DeleteI love this post! And I go through exactly the same thing (although I think it might have been worse for me as a teenager). I'd always worry about whether or not people thought I was weird, and if they were nice to me I'd wonder if they secretly didn't like me but were just trying to be a good person. Haha not to mention all the insecurities I feel like most girls have (am I too fat? not pretty enough? etc.). It's good to know we all go through the same things.
ReplyDeleteKaylee
Adventures in Everyday Life