“I’m Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea. I’m Too Loud, Too Quiet. We Try So Hard to Bend 50 Different Ways to Fit a Mold, But Why?”

“I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.

I’m too much for some people. Too loud; too outspoken. I talk too much. I voice my opinions far too often and forget the filter.

To others, I am too quiet. Shy. Off putting. Maybe even stuck up.

To some I’m just a mom. A mom who could stand to lose a few pounds. Someone who needs to get it together. I’m disheveled – a hot mess. I make lists only to forget them on my kitchen counter.

To others I’m too career driven, too organized; by the book. A control freak, too structured. A planner.

Do you see a trend here? I’m always going to be too much for some and not enough for others, when in reality I’m both. I’m equal parts loud and quiet. I’m career driven and a hot mess mama.

As women, we worry so much about what other people think or what we think they might be thinking. We create judgments in our own heads. We hear undertone where it’s not even meant to exist. We over-analyze text messages. We worry why we didn’t get the invite. We see glances and whispers and assume they must be directed at us.

We waste so much of our time worrying about what other people’s opinions of us are. We try so hard to bend ourselves fifty different ways to fit a mold in hopes of somehow satisfying everyone else, only to leave ourselves feeling empty.

But, why? For what?

Approval?