I don't care what people think. It is 6 simple words. I say them a lot. I hear them a lot.
I know people that say it and don't mean it and people that can't imagine making a simple decision without thinking about everyone they might affect.
The truth is that I care what people think. Not everyone, but there are people in my immediate circle that I care immensely about their opinions and weigh my options by considering how it will change them or myself. There are a few folks that aren't close, but I care what they think. I have worked hard to build a reputation, to be someone that possesses passion and wants to do the right thing. I don't want a decision, be it a bad one or just one that someone doesn't understand, to undo what I've established.
I'm not likely to make a decision without consulting the opinions of the people I care about. I will consult and analyze until I'm satisfied with possible outcomes.
I'm a firm believer in doing things that make you happy. I encourage my little Milkmaids to be themselves and wear what they like, not what someone else tells them is cute or not cute and be who they are no matter what someone may say. I want them to understand that decisions they make will almost always affect the people around them, but that shouldn't dictate everything they do. They should think about the right thing, and if what they do or say or how they present themselves sheds a negative light on who they are or where they come from.
I grew up a preacher's daughter. We all know the reputation that comes with. I was pretty good, on a scale of saint to satan I would be closer to Selena Gomez than Miley Cyrus. Some of the people that know me might say I'm not very nice. I'm not always nice, I'll be honest, but a lot of times in small town speak "not very nice" actually translates into "not a doormat." There is a difference in standing up for yourself and what you believe in and not being walked on or afraid of your own opinions. I have always stood up for my beliefs, myself, my family, my friends, and those who couldn't stand up for themselves. Those are the times in my life that it never mattered what anyone thought. Doing what's right because it is right should never be decided based on someone else's opinion.
Being a preacher's daughter meant being aware that what I did or didn't do and what I said or didn't say directly affected my dad's reputation and the church. It wasn't always easy and I didn't always make the right decision. I am lucky to have a dad that is not in the candy business. He doesn't sugar coat or appreciate sugar coating. He likes the truth even when he doesn't really "like" it. I have a mom that has developed the same appreciation of straightforwardness and honesty. I am a genuine product of parents that put good decision making and doing what's right before anything else.
It's a hard balance to learn. I have a reputation for being honest, sometimes to a fault. I know that the things I say sometimes hurts feelings and causes recoil. People that know me don't usually ask my opinion unless they want to hear what I really think. Sugar coating things isn't in my nature. You will have to look elsewhere that.
I put purple streaks in my hair last year. I'm a 31 year old mother of 2. Did I care what anyone thought? Nope. Not really. I'll probably do it again. I like purple in my hair. When I post on Facebook about my general dislike of the way our government is run, do I care what someone might say? Nope. I don't.
My point of this is that we have stopped doing the right thing because we are afraid of what someone might think, or say, or what Joe Blow's opinion of us might be. We only buy certain brands because of what people think. We mortgage the house or farm to keep up with the Jones'. We gladly take on the disease of political correctness so nobody takes offense to what we say. That is a whole set of posts for a week of soapboxes. Yes. Something to look forward to.
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