I’m a people-pleaser. I take extra care in making sure every decision I make is not only approved by everyone around me but also betters their life in some way. I like to go above and beyond for everybody because I feel this need to be accepted and to be reminded that I’m doing a good job of being the best version of myself I can be.

If you’re a people-pleaser, you have this constant desire to get everyone you meet to love you. Not because you want a confidence boost knowing people adore you, but because you want to know you’re doing the best you can to make everyone around you happy. This often leads you to stress out, trying to accommodate everyone in unrealistic ways. It can be tiring and you often end up disappointed by not getting the response from people that you were looking for or you’re left feeling empty. You sacrifice yourself and your own happiness for the possibility of being accepted by others.

If you’re a people-pleaser and you look at your life and find that you’re unhappy, you can’t blame anyone but yourself.

If pleasing other people comes with changing your desires or opinions to match other people’s, you’re losing authenticity; you’re losing yourself. You are a product of your own individual experiences. Who are you if your experiences are run by others?

It’s a hard lesson to learn, but it’s simply impossible to please everyone. The more you try, the more disappointed in yourself you will be. Some people just aren’t going to like you—but that shouldn’t affect your life.

You don’t need the approval of others to make any decision. This way of thinking is linked to a lack of self-confidence, as if other people know better than you do. YOU know what’s best for you, and everyone is different. Not everyone is going to like everything you do and everything you are. As long as you’re causing no one harm, just keep doing you and you’ll find that people will appreciate you more for that.

The most opinionated people are typically the ones throwing out negativity. You don’t need that in your life. You can listen to everyone’s opinions and take them into consideration, but do not go overboard to meet everyone’s expectations or what you think their expectations are.

This is about you and your actions. If someone is telling you how to run certain aspects of your life or do a certain job with no intention of supporting or helping you, or you’re going out of your way to continuously make someone happy who wouldn’t even bat an eye for you, it’s not worth it.

Your happiness should always come first.

The most successful people didn’t build such amazing lives for themselves by trying to do what everyone wanted them to. They listened to their own hearts and created their own paths. It’s incredibly important to remember that no one should dictate your life but you. That’s what makes you so unique, and once you go your own way and figure out who you are, that’s what will make you happy. You’ll find that people will support you along the way, but instead of focusing on those who don’t, focus on pleasing yourself and doing what’s best for you.