We're up to 31,000...!

Creepy...!  Must figure out who is looking, and what they/you are looking at...!

In the meantime, here's some food for thought --- a brief introduction into what's been twirling in my head, before I fully hop onto my soapbox. 

Oftentimes I see memes or posts on social media and credible sites with this tagline: "What Other People Think of Me is None of My Business."

Go ahead and try it, type that in under Google images and you'll find that Coco Chanel's been quoted as having said this, as has Dr. Wayne Dyer, the self-help guru, as has Simon Cowell, just for good measures. From my search I also found that it's a title of a book that was published in 1988, which I now feel obligated to buy a used copy to see if I can understand the original intentions.  This way I can find out if it does lie in contradiction to what we then do upon others when it comes to relationships, which is to assert our wants and expecting the other to modify their behavior to suit ours.  It seems a double-standard... and I hate double-standards. 

Think for a second. If both people in the relationship truly believed in this idea that we should fully embrace who we are, and love ourselves, our minds, bodies, flaws, strengths, etc. which is the essence of this saying... does it not fly in the face of other self-help, motivational and relational coaches who speak of the need to assert oneself by voicing our needs and articulating these thoughts to our partners?  Are we not expecting our partners to acknowledge what we've said, and beyond that, to then make appropriate adjustments?  In other words, try reversing the roles. If your loved one speaks to you earnestly about something they felt with regards to your actions or words having a certain influence, are you so sage that you say to them, "Thank you for bringing them to my attention, I will take them into advisement..." and... that's it?  It's either my business or it's not is what this the tagline is telling me... but isn't it at least KIND OF my business?  Especially if I am potentially unintentionally being inconsiderate or thoughtless? Is it not possible that I AM capable of having flaws? Can I NOT feel complimented if what they think of me is positive?  

I am no cynic, nor am I anti-self-help-like things... but the simplification of these ideas drive me just a teeny bit crazy. 

Thus, food for thought. More on this later. I also don't want to be accused of simplifying something that could be more complicated than what I've synthesized in one paragraph.

Have a good weekend. :)