“Why should we worry about what others think of us, do we have more confidence in their opinions than we do our own?”
Your opinion of yourself matters more than others'. Trust in your self-worth.
Have you ever found yourself pausing mid-sentence, wondering if that silly joke you just made was actually funny, or if people are judging your outfit as you walk into a room? It is such a heavy, exhausting feeling, isn't it? This quote by Brigham Young hits right at the heart of our human struggle. It asks us a very piercing question: why are we handing the keys to our happiness over to strangers? We often treat the opinions of others like they are absolute truths, much more reliable than the quiet, steady voice inside our own hearts. We let a passing comment or a cold glance dictate how we feel about our worth, forgetting that we are the only ones who truly live within our own skin.
I remember a time when I was working on a small craft project, something I was really proud of. I had spent hours making it, feeling so much joy in the process. But then, I showed it to a group of acquaintances, and one person made a tiny, dismissive remark about the colors I chose. Suddenly, that spark of pride vanished. I spent the next three days feeling embarrassed and ashamed of something that had originally made me smile. I was giving so much power to their fleeting opinion, far more than I was giving to my own creative satisfaction. I realized I was letting someone else's momentary mood rewrite my own joy.
Life gets so much lighter when we start to reclaim that power. Think about the things you love to do—the hobbies, the dreams, even the way you dress—and ask yourself if you are doing them for an audience or for your own soul. When we prioritize our own self-trust, the noise of the world starts to fade into the background. It doesn't mean we stop caring about being kind or respectful to others, but it means we stop letting their perceptions define our identity. We start to build a foundation of confidence that isn't shaken by a frown or a critical word.
Today, I want to encourage you to take a small step toward trusting yourself more. The next time you feel that familiar sting of self-doubt caused by someone else's judgment, take a deep breath and gently remind yourself that your opinion of you is the one that matters most. Try to listen to your own heart's rhythm instead of the external chatter. You are the expert on your own life, and you deserve to be your own biggest supporter.