Fear of Being Judged

During a recent hair salon visit, I overheard a conversation between a client and his hair stylist. The client said that the haircut he’d just received was a little shorter than he had expected but admitted that he had not provided clear instructions to the stylist. The stylist responded that she would have cut the client’s hair differently had she received clearer instructions. Then came a repeated conversational loop of the client consoling the stylist that all was well and the stylist justifying her actions. The scenario became less about the client’s haircut and more about the stylist’s feelings. Could it be that the stylist was experiencing fear of judgement?

“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Most people don’t spend as much time judging us as we think they do.  Even better, you have a choice in the matter: what if you decided to give very little attention to what other people thought of you? Would you feel freer? And for those times when you felt judged – could you accept that how others feel is their choice and more about their perspective than about you?

What if you spent more energy reaching for your goals than caring about what others thought?

If you decided not to care so much if others were judging you, would you try more new experiences? Would you pursue dreams or goals that you’ve shelved because you previously thought others would not approve? What growth opportunities might you experience if you decided to just go for it?

Are you judging yourself?

Perhaps you’ve managed to care less about what others think of you. Have a look inwards. Are you your harshest judge? Be aware of your inner critic. My next post will address how to nurture rather than judge yourself. Imagine letting go of your fear of being judged by others and a tendency to judge yourself. Would that make you unstoppable?

Image by champja (iStock)