We can’t please everyone, as much as we would like to. People may feel disappointed or even offended by us from time to time when we did not even do anything wrong. But how others choose to respond is out of our control, and we need to be okay with that. Therefore we can’t simply say yes to everything, or behave in a certain way as a means of trying to please everyone.
People-pleasing steals our joy
Sometimes we try our best to please everyone as a means of avoiding offending or disappointing others. Then we do things out of obligation or out of fear of what others will think or feel towards us. And let’s be honest, it can be totally exhausting trying to please the entire world. The simple truth is that we do not need to please everyone at the expense of losing our personal joy.
Understand the why
If you struggle with people-pleasing, maybe stop for a moment and ask yourself, “Why do I want to please everyone? Do I worry about what others will think of me? Do I only make decisions based on pleasing everybody else ?”
Heart motives
Understand your motive behind trying to please everyone, and understand what propels you to act in that way. Are you motivated by love or by fear? When we start to understand that our identity is found in God, we soon realise that we need to focus on pleasing Him. His love will refine our character, and it will propel us to do and say things out of love. If you struggle in this area why not pray and ask God to guide you in this area. He will give you the wisdom in this area, which will help you to let go of trying to please everyone.
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