Validation

Validation. The need to know that you are doing a good job, that you are good enough.

Our lives seem to revolve around the fact that we need constant approval from our friends, family, a mere acquaintance or even a complete stranger.

Yes, I’m not saying that wanting to receive a pat on the back for a job well done is a bad thing. In fact, it is mere human nature to want to be appreciated and accepted.

But we, in our digital age, may have taken things way too far. To judge a person by the number of likes they get on their posts on social media websites like Facebook and Instagram. Or to feel insecure about ourselves when our posts don’t receive as many likes as we would like them to.  We start doubting ourselves and whether we are at par with our fellow colleagues or friends.

That’s the downside of seeking validation. When we don’t get appreciated for what we do, we start doubting ourselves and our ability to perform. It also doesn’t help that the world is filled with critics. Let’s face it. It’s a dog eat dog world out there.

Criticism is thrown at anything and everything. And this inhibits us in nurturing some of our abilities to their true potential. I admit, I’m not a saint who’s immune to all the criticism.

I have let go of dozens of opportunities in life, thinking I may not be good enough, so why bother? Today, those are the things I regret the most. Not having the guts to do the things I could have done, had I not feared criticism.

Looking back at myself, of who I was as a kid; I realized that we, as kids, grew up with a billion hopes and dreams of who we would be when we grew up. We thought of ourselves as being capable of infinite possibilities. But as we grew up, we have constricted ourselves more and more; fearing criticism, doubting ourselves, and telling ourselves that it wasn’t meant to be.

When did we stop being that child who believed that anything is possible in life, as long as we work hard and believe with all our soul.

We are still the same individuals. We just need to stop worrying about validation from others. We need to start believing in ourselves. For, if you don’t believe in yourself, you can never persuade someone else to believe in you.

So to whoever is reading this, go out there, be yourself. Live like no one’s watching. Do something that you’ve always wanted, but have never had the courage to do. This world would have never have improved if Edison hadn’t had the courage to pursue inventing the light bulb. Who knows what you could achieve if you give it your best? The sky's the limit!