By Jen Sincero Published by Running Press

Margaret: Did you hear about poor Susan?
Ruth: Susan Wright?
Helen: Such a disgrace. Poor thing.
Ruth: What happened?
Margaret: Well, her sons . . .
Helen: As if she hasn’t suffered enough. Birthing two boys as big as buffaloes,
and now this . . .
Margaret: Seems her two sons . . .
Helen: You gonna eat the rest of your tapioca pudding? Mind if I help myself?
Ruth: Tell me already, Margaret!
Margaret: Well, this is going to sound as crazy as it is but they . . .
Helen: And now her sons think they can fly. Such a shame.
Margaret: . . . Her sons think—they think they can fly.
Ruth: Think they can fly?
Margaret: Yes, they think they can fly. They talk of nothing else.
Helen: She just had the house painted, too. They’ll probably have to move out
of town now. . . .
Once  you  step  away  from  the  herd  and  let  your  true  self  shine,  you’ll
probably find yourself in front of the opinion firing squad (especially if what
you  want  to  do  is  extraordinary  and  outside  of  everyone’s  comfort  zones),
which is why so many people run screaming from the lives they’d so love to
live. Merely allowing yourself to be seen is a risk. I mean, look at how we treat
celebrities—their every move is picked apart and passed around and discussed
and judged and photographed without makeup on. It’s a wonder that only half
of them spend time in rehab.
You  are  responsible  for  what  you  say  and  do.  You
are not responsible for whether or not people freak
out about it.
Two people can walk out of the same movie, one person clinging to the walls,
bloodshot and devastated, leaving a trail of tissues, more moved by this film

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than  any  other  film  in  the  history  of  cinema  while  the  other  person  goes
marching  up  to  the  ticket  counter  and  demands  her  money  back  because  she
thought it was the worst piece of garbage to ever be projected onto a screen.
One movie, two very different experiences. Why?
Because it’s not about the movie, it’s about the moviegoers.
What  other  people  think  about  you  has  nothing  to
do with you and everything to do with them.
The  trick  is  to  not  only  deny  the  criticism  any  power  over  you,  but,  even
more  challenging,  to  not  get  caught  up  in  the  praise.  There’s  nothing  wrong
with  blushingly  accepting  a  compliment,  but  if  you  find  yourself  always
seeking outside approval that you’re good enough or cool enough or talented
enough  or  worthy  enough,  you’re  screwed.  Because  if  you  base  your  self-
worth on what everyone else thinks of you, you hand all your power over to
other  people  and  become  dependent  on  a  source  outside  of  yourself  for
validation.  Then  you  wind  up  chasing  after  something  you  have  no  control
over, and should that something suddenly place its focus somewhere else, or
change its mind and decide you’re no longer very interesting, you end up with
a full-blown identity crisis.
All  that  matters  is  what’s  true  for  you,  and  if  you
can stay connected to that without straying, you will
be a mighty superhero.
Everything else is just other people’s perception of reality, and that is none
of your business.
So  how  can  you  truly  not  care  what  other  people  think  and  be  your  most
powerful Self?

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