Who says that right? Actually, who would be willing to admit it?
Have you ever found yourself going to a familiar place and still feeling like you aren’t accepted? You may even be meeting with a group of friends and you always feel like the outcast. You feel like no one takes you seriously.
Not too far back, I realized that I had a serious case of what I would call “approval addiction”. It’s hard to admit you have it but once you do, you’ll see how much time you’ve wasted on it.
Approval addiction means exactly what it says. You are constantly seeking the approval of others so that you can feel validated as a person. When we have an approval addiction, we want to be recognized, respected, and feel like we are also an influence to others.
The side effects of approval addiction may be:
- Feeling like an outcast or we don’t fit in.
- Doing things we normally wouldn’t do because we think others would approve of us if we do.
- Feeling like we are not good enough around others.
- Being worried that others don’t take us seriously or they look down on us.
Have you found yourself in this position before? When we are constantly seeking approval from others so that we can feel validated, we end up being very restricted.
I recently read that one of the reasons why women have a higher rate of depression is because they have a harder time being independent. From when we are small, we learn to be dependent and affection-seeking. As we get older, this leads to our approval addiction.
Now that you know that, I want to tell you the truth about yourself. You are an individual. You are your own person. You hold your very own unique qualities that make you important to every person you meet. You may not think that you have anything special about you- but you do. You were created perfectly in God’s image to make a difference in someone’s life.
Therefore, when you walk into that room, stand tall. Be confident in who you are. Don’t let anyone decide the way you will feel about yourself. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you are less. No one has that power. Only you have the ability to be you. Stand tall knowing that and don’t live in bondage by seeking others’ approval.
