Why You Don't Need to Prove Anything to Anyone But Yourself

The life lesson I learned the hard way.

A red umbrella in a crowd of black umbrellas. Always be you. | Graphic made by author with Canva.

Hi there!

When I was younger, I spent a lot of time trying to prove myself to others. I wanted everyone to see me as smart, talented, and worthy. I would take any challenge or do any task just to get the approval of my friends. 

And you know what? It was exhausting.

I wasted so much time worried about what other people thought of me, that it kept me from being my authentic self. Thankfully, I eventually realized that I didn’t need anyone’s approval but my own. 

When I started focusing on self-love, acceptance, and confidence, everything in my life improved. Let me tell you how I got there.

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“Everything will line up perfectly when knowing and living the truth becomes more important than proving anything to anyone.”

- Alan Cohen

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Scott Ninneman publishes two newsletters each week. The Sunday All Things Bipolar Newsletter (off Substack) features the newest content about bipolar life. The Speaking Bipolar Positivity Club Newsletter shares inspirational stories three times a week to help you maintain a positive mindset.

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Stretching myself too thin

In my early 20s, I owned a credit research business. I traveled to courthouses and collected data on bankruptcies, tax liens, and civil judgments. 

My territory was big, so I drove a lot, often 1,000 miles a week or more. When I returned home each night, there was still a lot of work to do. During the day I collected paper records which I then had to enter into my computer. Then I saved the information to disks and mailed them to each company. It was the mid 1990s, so there were very few cell phones and the internet was just starting to gain popularity.