This may be a hard phrase to grasp. I, for one, need to repeat it to myself a lot. I've spent many years of my life trying to please everyone, and my results were never close to perfect. I wanted people to like me, and I wanted everyone to be happy.
It's OK to want to be liked, and I don't know many people who would disagree. It's nice to want to please everyone, but it's simply impossible. Putting others ahead of yourself is only OK to certain extents. You should never put another person's happiness in your own hands, as that is their responsibility.
I admit to caring too much of what others think about me. I've reached points in my life where I unintentionally allowed people to walk all over me. I wasn't taking responsibility for my own happiness. Instead, I was letting others decide for me. All I wanted to be was that person who lifted people up. That person who was everyone's best friend. That person people needed.
Just a little piece of advice; you're not free until you stop trying to please people. You can't let the judgment of others stop you from being you. In reality, you're going to make a handful of mistakes. But that's OK. No one is perfect, and that's the truth.
People will come and go throughout your life. Many of them will criticize and gossip, as you can't avoid judgment in this world. We can't spend all of our time stressing about what people think of us, although it is easier said than done. When you've become too caught up in pleasing others and trying to live up to their standards, you aren't focusing on yourself. You need to build your own standards and stand on your own two feet. When you aren't worried about what everyone else thinks, it's a lot easier to focus on the things that actually matter.
So to all my fellow people pleasers out there, don't lose yourself just to make others happy. You can still do good and not please everyone.
