The following advice was written to me, a few months ago, by a very insightful friend…

July, 2012 An expanded post “Letting it go…I just don’t have time to worry about what people think about me anymore….shifting to positive”

….learning to go back,
check my own motivation,
and if it’s positive,
to practice letting go of concerns
about other people’s reactions

One of the pages from that linked July, 2012 post:

And another page from the July, 2012 post
going back and checking motivation…
being certain that what I’m doing
comes out of positive motivations

For me, personally….
as long as I’m limiting myself
due to  concerns about other people’s reactions,
(which I’m continuing to do)
I’m not using my strengths and abilities to their fullest…
and not contributing to others
in ways that I might be able to do…
an unfortunate result….

this is such a precious life
we do have so many opportunities
and so to be able
“to really use to it’s fullest
this precious life that we have been given…”
a fervent, heartfelt wish

This page, “seeking approval”  is also on another site, a site full of good ideas from a friend,  Ven. Jampa.…Reflections from a Friend… Ven. Jampa is the person, a Buddhist monk,  who wrote that first passage…and the last sentence, too…