At age 25, after a lifetime of people-pleasing, I finally hit rock bottom. I was single and lonely, with no prospective dates. I was stuck in a dead-end career, too afraid to take risks. I was constantly anxious, and frustrated that nothing was working out the way it should.
And I couldn't take it any longer.
One evening, after getting yet another exhausting day of people-pleasing at work, and yet another text from a girl saying “I just want to be friends,” I’d had enough.
I knew I deserved better. 2 decades of people pleasing had never made me happy. I was sick to death of pretending and performing.
Something had to change.
So right there I made a commitment to myself. No more hiding what was going on for me. No more sitting silently as others got their way.
I committed to being honest 100% of the time. To speaking up when I wanted something, felt something, or had an idea.
I started initiating confrontations and standing up for myself. I expressed how I felt honestly, even telling people when I was attracted to them. Through this, I finally learned how to stop caring what other people thought of me.
I saw all the other people-pleasers out there, and knew I had to help them.
