Don't audition for approval

 "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." — Eleanor Roosevelt

Last week I caught myself performing.

Rephrasing a solid idea three times, watching a face for permission to believe my own point.

It's exhausting, living on the next nod.

Approval is a fine feeling and a terrible compass. It points wherever the crowd is standing.

The people I respect most aren't rude. They're just done auditioning.

They say the thing, hold the pause, and let it land without begging for it.

Your worth was never up for a vote.

What if you made your case once, clearly, and let it stand on its own?



























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