We all want to be liked. We all look for outside approval.

Whether it’s our family, our friends, our spouse, our followers or our boss, at some point we are looking for their approval.

I think it all starts at an early age.
I remember how happy I was when coming back home from school with a drawing I made for my parents, they praised me as if I was Leonardo da Vinci (they were experts in lying).

Obviously this is what parents normally do but sometimes they just over do it. As a result you grow up always looking for this outside approval, just to fit in right but compromising your own integrity, self-esteem and values.

So at some point you need the courage to stand up for your own ideas, dreams and actions, although you might not find any ally to support you.

That’s when you grow up. That’s when you learn to rely on yourself no matter what other people say or think.

At that point something magic happens: whatever you do, you enjoy it and fulfills you. And guess what? You improve your performance, you get better and start believing in a bigger and higher purpose.

You no longer need external validation to know how much you’re worth and how much you’re loved.

You just enable the divine purpose of the universe to unfold.

“If you are ever tempted to look for outside approval, realize that you have compromised your integrity. If you need a witness, be your own.”
– Epictetus

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“The lover” – 2014 – Photography on paper

Limited edition print of 20, available at Saatchi Art