Not that we like to think it but nobody is thinking about us! It’s a harsh truth that resonated with me when I read Big Magic recently.
I read A LOT and one book in my collection that I truly love is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love.
My copy of the book has dog-eared pages and highlighter pen throughout. My mum hates that I do this to books but I just can’t help myself!
As a creative person, I resonated with and was inspired by large chunks of this book. It’s one of those books that I go back to to remind myself about how creativity ‘works’.
There’s one chapter in Big Magic that really stands out for me and that I’ve felt called to share with you.
Nobody’s Thinking About You.
“We all spend our 20s and 30s trying so hard to be perfect because we’re so worried what people will think of us. Then we get to our 40s and 50s and then we finally start to be free because we decide that we don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks of us.”
This chapter gives me a good kick up the bum! It reminds me that someone else’s opinion of me is none of my business and that people are really only thinking of themselves anyway.
“You are free because everyone is busy fussing over themselves to worry all that much about you.”
Here’s a reading of the full chapter:
This is your permission slip to stop caring about what others may think of you. People are too busy thinking of themselves. Get out there and do your thing.
So the message for both of us is:
Don’t give a shit about what anybody else thinks. Get out there, BE YOU and do what lights you up . . . because nobody is thinking about you!
“It’s likely no one will notice and that’s awesome.”
You can buy Big Magic through my favourite book delivery website here.
