I used to be addicted to approval, and my boss knew it.

When I didn’t get her approval, I spent a lot of time trying to change that.

After a while, I stopped doing things that might cause more rejection, meaning I took fewer risks at work, I isolated myself from friends and family, and my focus narrowed inward.

When you rely on other people’s opinions to make you feel assured, you’re relying on something that isn’t really yours, and eventually, you’ll get knocked off your pedestal.

The antidote to this is self-confidence, and you build it from the inside out.

It’s a skillset you can develop.

When you do, you experience rejection differently. It becomes less personal.

You keep moving forward because you know you can handle any emotion.

You learn how to live for yourself. And you own your power.