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What Matters More — Disappointing Others or Disappointing Yourself?
Is there someone other than myself who I should worry about disappointing?
I’ve struggled with this pretty frequently, and I know I’m not alone in this.
Who am I? I ask that question a lot. Part of why I keep asking is because I’m constantly changing — which is part of the human condition. Another reason why I ask is because I know that you probably have a different impression of me than I have of myself.
Ever hear a recording of your voice and feel like, whoa, is that really how I sound? If you hear enough recordings of your voice, you get used to how everyone else hears you. It gives you an outside impression of an aspect of yourself.
The same thing applies to photos. Ever look at a picture and wince at how you look? Again, you are seeing yourself from without.
Inside my own head, I see myself differently than how you see me. My voice is deeper, my body is stockier rather than flabby, and my hair is more pepper than salt. If I feel good about myself, then these superficial aspects you see are not terribly important.
However, if I start to see the flabby guy with the greying hair and it makes me feel bad, I become disappointed in myself. This can begin…
