You may think that you are making everyone happy by pleasing people. You may be right in some ways but people-pleasing could be counter-productive in the long run.
The trouble is that when you become a people pleaser, you begin to sideline you own needs and deal with others’ needs on priority basis.
You may never be able to mouth a full-throated ‘NO’ because you are mortally afraid that it might displease someone.
You often fail to push your point of view and begin retreating when you face someone who does not quite agree with your point of view.
Because you do not want to hurt anyone, you let them transgress into your territory even when you are uncomfortable with such invasion into your private space.
You go overboard complimenting others just to strengthen your image as a pleasant and amicable person.
You think nothing of putting in extra work to build up your image as a hard worker who is always willing to hep others. You tend to work extra hours to fulfill the expectations of your boss and colleagues.
You will do anything to avoid confrontation on a one-to-one basis and compromise your position on account of that.
Since you are always at the beck and call of others, you often get slighted for no reason. As a result, you seldom get the kind of respect you deserve.
As you wish to be seen as a good Samaritan who is always there for others, you end up comparing yourself with others just to make sure that you are creating an ideal image in the society for yourself.
Since you are a people-pleaser, you develop a tendency to uphold the feelings of others over your own feelings.
If you have been doing these and more, stop this very moment and review your actions. Understand that you don’t have to please everyone. While it is nice to be seen as a nice person, it is equally important to focus on developing your own personality and tend to your feelings and pains. Just be yourself and do what needs to be done without going into whether that is going to hurt your image or not. Just do what needs to be done without being overly concerned about people-pleasing.
Lastly, don’t forget the old adage: ‘If you try to please everone, you will please none.’
