Being liked is often about compliance.
Smile enough. Say yes enough. Make yourself small enough.
And sure, people will like you.
But at the cost of your own edges. Your own voice. Your own spine.
The pursuit of being liked often turns into
- avoiding conflict at all costs
- apologizing for things that aren't wrong
- shrinking when you should stand tall
- agreeing just to keep the peace
That's not connection.
That's performance.
Remember liking is conditional. Respect is earned.
Liking is based on comfort. It shifts with moods, and requires pleasing.
Respect is rooted in consistency. It survives disagreements, and demands boundaries.
People might easily like you when you're easy to control
or it's easy taking advantage of what you have to offer - that is not friendship,
and not something you should make room for in your life.
Find the strength in you to be authentic and stand up for yourself,
even when it risks disapproval. Because at the end of the day - as clichè as it is -
those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.
