This is the title of a book by a guy I interviewed on my podcast and who has accomplished a lot, especially in the last 5 years. (Physics degree, 13-1 professional boxing record, military service, sobriety, successful online business, three books, over 90k Twitter followers).

I strive to completely adopt that attitude and it’s a quality I admired most about my dad. More importantly, I try to encourage the kids not to care what other people think-especially their parents.

I don’t want the kids to make choices based on what I think is best, I want them to make choices and learn from their own instincts.

How else can they grow and thrive on their own?

This idea has a slightly different context when I apply it to myself. There are some things that I would like to do or try but I hold myself back based on what other people think, including the kids. How weird is that?

For example, I would like to practice getting comfortable in front of the camera. I think it’s a valuable skill to be able to articulate an idea concisely with a camera pointed at you. An easy (in terms of non-cumbersome) way to do that is on Instagram stories but my kids (well, one of them) would be mortified. So, I haven’t yet.

A friend records herself regularly on stories as part of her fitness business/journey and I admire her so much for it. She has gotten more natural over time. Her stories are clear, concise, articulate and entertaining.

I’ve gotten better at not caring what other people think as I’ve gotten older. I would never have homeschooled the kids, started this blog, started a podcast or published an ebook if I had considered what other people thought of those projects.

I’ll press on, though. Doing and learning new things is the only way for me to grow.

What others think of me is none of my business.