By society’s standards, I’m behind.
By my own standards, I’ve never felt more at peace.

I once thought peace would arrive if I just ticked all the boxes. Most of us were taught what the boxes should be, but not how to discern if we’re choosing the right ones for us.

For some of us, people-pleasing a phrase that’s loaded with shame, self-criticism, resentment or confusion. 

For others, thinking about people-pleasing evokes thoughts like:

“Why am I like this?”

“Why does setting boundaries feel so impossible for me?”

or maybe even

“I like pleasing others, I have no problem with it.”