People who don't care what others think about them share these 14 powerful beliefs

Do you have these beliefs?

A woman with hair in a messy bun, wearing large hoop earrings and a white shirt, stands on a beach. Her intense gaze is directed at the camera. The ocean and an overcast sky serve as the background.

Do you live in fear of judgment? Do you constantly worry about what other people think about you and your choices? Or do the opinions of others mean very little to you?

If it’s the latter, you’ll probably find these 14 beliefs resonate strongly with you, and that’s what makes you so immune to other people’s thoughts and judgments. And if it’s the former? Well, then adopt these beliefs too, and you’ll start to find you just don’t give a damn anymore either.

1. Judgments by people you don’t know are irrelevant.

A person with long wavy hair, wearing a black cap and a white shirt under a black vest, is seen from the side walking down an empty, tree-lined street. The background is slightly blurred, with buildings and parked cars visible in the distance.

You’re never going to interact with these people. They may look at you walking down the street or sitting across from you on the subway… but that’s where it ends.

They walk past, you get off the train, and Poof! they disappear from your life.

What they may or may not have thought about you has absolutely zero influence over your life because they are no longer in it.

2. Judgments by people you’ve just met are temporary.

A young woman with long brown hair wearing a black blazer and light pink blouse sits in a warmly lit cafe, extending her hand forward with a welcoming smile. The background features modern decor with hanging lights, wooden accents, and large windows.

We all judge other people when we first meet them. It’s a shame, really, but it’s also a natural response.

What a person looks like, what they sound like when introducing themselves, how firm or floppy their handshake is – we make instantaneous judgments based on first impressions.

But first impressions don’t last. As important as they are made out to be, it’s what comes after that matters most. And as people get to know you, it’s highly likely that any negative initial perceptions they had will soften and disappear.

Most people are inclined to like others rather than dislike them. It’s just easier that way.

So however you think they might have judged you in the beginning, they are now looking for things to like about you – of which there is plenty, no doubt.

3. Judgments don’t always influence how a person interacts with you.

A young woman with long dark hair embraces an older woman with short blonde hair in a bright, white room. Both appear content and are sharing a close, warm hug. Charts are visible on the wall in the background.

Even if someone does maintain a particular judgment about you, it doesn’t always make a difference to how they treat you. We can have these thoughts about others and yet maintain a perfectly good relationship with them.

We may even really like them, in spite of our judgments.

So being judged needn’t always extend to a fear of how you will then be treated. They are two different things.

4. Judgments can be positive too.

Two young women are sitting at a wooden table in a cafe, engaged in a lively conversation while holding magazines. One has curly red hair and wears a light shirt, and the other has long blonde hair and is dressed in a burgundy top. Two coffee cups and a smartphone are on the table.

Have you ever stopped to think that people might be judging you positively? Judgment is not inherently negative. We just assume that when someone judges us, they are pinpointing something they don’t like about us.

In reality, many of the judgments we make are about things we do like in a person. We admire their determination, we find them attractive, we are in awe at how well they can work a room.

You have plenty of traits that others think highly of.

5. People will judge you one way or another.

Two men wearing black wetsuits stand on a beach, each holding a surfboard. The man in the foreground has a yellow and white surfboard and is smiling while running his hand through his hair. The man behind him is also smiling, holding a red and white surfboard.

Those people who can’t help but judge others – they’ll find a way to judge you whatever you do.

So here’s the question you have to ask yourself: would you prefer to be judged for being your true self, or the self you try to project to the world?

The answer should be easy. Why would you want to be judged for something that isn’t really you?

You wouldn’t, right?

If you’re going to be judged, you might as well show the world who you really are, and to hell with what they think.

It’s a darn sight easier to be yourself, after all.

6. A person’s judgment is a reflection of their own insecurities.

Two women are sitting on a light-colored sofa in a cozy living room. One has short hair and wears a green shirt, while the other has long hair and wears a light blue shirt. They seem to be having an emotional conversation, with one woman placing her hand on the other's arm.

When someone judges you, it’s important to recognize where that judgment comes from. In truth, their judgment of you is merely a reflection of something they dislike about themselves.

It might not be the exact thing that they are judging you for, but there’s a niggling insecurity somewhere beneath the surface that’s infiltrating their thoughts.

They have a pain point and it causes them to seek out the pain points in others so that they can feel less alone in their hurt.

Oftentimes, if you are yourself, people will judge you because they are jealous. They wish they could be their authentic self, but their own fear of judgment prevents them from showing it.

7. Most people are too busy fighting their own battles to care.

Two women sitting at a cafe table, engaged in conversation. One woman, wearing glasses and a grey blazer, holds a cup of coffee and a pastry. The other woman, in a beige sweater with a long braid, holds a glass of juice. They appear to be enjoying a casual chat.

Life is hard and people are often consumed by the challenges they face in their lives. Any judgments they may make about you are no more than passing thoughts before their mind returns to the things that truly trouble them.

Just ask yourself when the last time was that you spent any great length of time thinking nasty, judgmental thoughts about someone – outside of your close personal relationships, perhaps (people have fights, after all).

The little judgments we make mean so little to us in the grand scheme of our days.

They float away in our thought streams and pass out of sight. Why fear these fleeting and insignificant thoughts of others?

8. Once you’ve accepted your flaws, no one can use them against you.

Two men having a conversation in an office. One is seated, wearing glasses, a blue blazer, and holding a smartphone. The other is standing, wearing a white turtleneck and resting his arm on the back of the chair, looking at the seated man.

The above words were spoken by Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones. They contain a very important message and a lesson we all need to learn.

Yes, we are flawed creatures. No one is perfect. Those who project a perfect facade have just as many cracks and blemishes under the surface. But when you truly come to terms with those flaws, no one can make you feel bad by attacking them.

You have already accepted that they are a part of you (at least, right now – personal growth should not be ignored). A person’s judgments – even their harsh words – will fall on deaf ears because you are at peace with the things they seek to target.

9. Just block the haters.

Two women are sitting on a bench in a park. One woman with light hair gestures as she speaks, while the other woman with dark hair listens with a serious expression. Trees and a building are visible in the background under sunny weather.

If there is someone who really wishes to hurt you by attacking you, the best thing you can do is to block them.

Remove them from your life in any way you can.

Remove them from your social media.

Refuse to engage with them in person.

Avoid seeing them altogether if you can.

Haters gonna hate – let them. That’s their pain talking, so don’t listen.

10. The approval of others won’t make you truly happy or peaceful.

Two women are sitting across from each other at a table in a cafe, engaged in a conversation. One woman has blonde hair and is wearing a white blouse with an orange sweater draped over her shoulders, while the other has light brown hair and is wearing glasses and a blue shirt.

The opposite side of the coin to fearing judgment is seeking approval. We don’t want to be judged – we want others to approve of us and validate our existence.

We want to feel worthy of being liked and loved. But here’s the kicker: that approval you seek won’t bring you the happiness or inner peace you seek.

That can only come from within. No one can say or do anything to impart lasting happiness and contentment on you.

This is especially true if what is being approved of isn’t the real you anyway.

11. You are enough.

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair stands with her arms crossed on a tree-lined path. She is wearing a patterned gray blouse and looks directly into the camera. The background features a lush, green park with trees and a clear, bright sky.

You’ve probably heard this before, but have you actually stopped to think about what it means?

You – the person you are today, the person you were yesterday, and the person you’ll be tomorrow – are not lacking anything.

You are not deficient, not broken, and not incomplete.

You are enough.

Sure, you have flaws (and we’ll get to those), but these do not make you less than anyone else.

“I am enough.” – say this to yourself when you wake up every morning, and anytime you feel that fear of judgment rising inside of you.

12. Most people are harder on themselves than others will be.

Two men walking outdoors on a tree-lined path. The man on the right is wearing a white button-down shirt and smiling, while the man on the left is wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt and also smiling. They appear to be engaged in conversation, with blurred nature in the background.

Listen, we get it, there are parts of yourself that you don’t particularly like.

Everybody feels the same.

But no matter how others will judge you, you have already judged yourself way harder.

If you realize this, it can be quite liberating. There really isn’t anything anyone can say that you haven’t already said to yourself.

13. If you don’t judge others, you won’t fear judgment.

Two women stand outside a traditional stone house laughing and embracing. The younger woman has long, wavy blonde hair and is wearing a black V-neck shirt and jeans. The older woman has short blonde hair, is wearing a light blue dress, and smiles warmly.

People who are concerned about the negative judgments of others are often the source of similar judgment.

If you look at people and see the worst in them, you’ll worry that the worst is what people are seeing in you. If all you see is the flaws in a person, you’ll worry that your flaws are all others see in you.

And conversely, people who don’t judge others are less likely to worry about being judged.

So every time a judgmental thought creeps into your mind, challenge it by looking for something positive about the person in question.

If you can reduce the judgments you have about others, you’ll worry less about what other people might be thinking about you.

14. If you don’t judge yourself, you won’t fear judgment.

A young man with short, blond hair, wearing a light blue polo shirt, is walking down a sunny street. He has a serious expression on his face, with blurred backgrounds of buildings and greenery.

If you see your flaws and you judge yourself harshly for them, you’re likely to fear others will do the same. You judge yourself and you expect that others must be judging you too.

The converse of this is true too, and that’s why people who don’t judge themselves harshly don’t worry about what others think of them.

Thus, by subduing your need to judge yourself, you’ll stop believing that others are judging you as well.

When a self-judgment springs up, provide a counterargument by focusing on something you like about yourself.

When you believe you are good and worthy, why would you care what other people believe?