It's hard to stand alone and independent when the approval from others is more important to you than your own. You start down the path of disrespecting yourself when you elevate the approval rating of others over your own.
Disrespecting yourself will wear you down and weigh heavy on your heart. If you don't feel like you are strong enough to stand alone on issues, you can choose to leave those situations. On the other hand, if you wish to stand alone for what you believe in, you might find you are really not alone and others may respect you more or actually agree with you.
At the end of the day, you go home with yourself, so be true to you. Value your approval rating more than the approval rating of others and sleep better at night!
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