RE: Yes, They're Probably Talking Behind Your Back.
A great post @colinhoward, and a subject I have contemplated often. It's the embodiment of the workplace lunchroom talk :)
Every advancement, or step forward that i have taken has come from disregarding the "what will others think" mentality.
I was brought up with the, what will the neighbours think conditioning, and it took some hard lessons to break out of.
A common distortion is the concept of 'mindreading', which means you believe you know what others are thinking and saying about you.
Guilty as charged haha, but I do catch myself out when committing this crime more and more often now.
People are going to think what they are going to think regardless of your own true intentions, so best to just be true to yourself.
What I've learned though, is that what other people say about you, reveals more about themselves, than about you.
I am not who you think I am. You, are who you think I am.
Peace.
Bingo! It can be hard to resist the urge to internalize the thoughts and opinions of others, but when it's unwarranted or irrational feedback that will not help further our personal progress, it's best to ignore it and go about our life without giving it energy.
Another gem there @colinhoward. Being in conscious control of where your energy goes is paramount to a happy life.
Attention is our true currency as sentient co-creators. I am very attentive as to where i spend mine :)
Peace.