The irony with pleasing others is that you cannot please yourself at the same time, so every time you don't do something you really want or you do something you didn't want to but felt pressured to do, you prefer them over you.
There is another group that says that they don't give a f* about others opinion. It's easy to say "I don't care what others say", or "I do not care about what they think of me", because if you take the time to even say it, it means that deep inside of you, you care, a little bit maybe but you do. Which isn't bad either. The bad thing is the unconsciousness behind believing that you do not care when in reality you are protecting yourself every time you even mention it.
For instance, this is my own case, I care what others think about my posts most of the times, just to name one example.
I care about other's opinion, it's a fact. I accept it, I embrace that fact... But that doesn't stop me from doing what I want to do (not anymore.) I continue doing my thing and trying to be true to myself despite them.
Reality is when some people disagree or dislike my posts, that will indeed matter to me. Then I will remember that it's the normal process in human beings to (have and) express their opinion, as it is also for them to return to their regular lives a couple of seconds after where I am not part of their world anymore, and so they forget about me. Same happens with family and friends.
So how about next time you say with pride 'I don't care what they think about me', you turn that pride into acceptance and awareness?
First, check out if that statement is true. Most likely, you still feel something when you say it, and if so, say this to yourself:
My old me, my unconscious me, cares about what others think, but even though I feel things in my body and certain emotion (maybe a tiny one) gets fired up when I think of other people having an opinion about me, I become aware today of it and I choose from this point of consciousness to make decisions for myself regardless of how that feels.
You'll realize over time that nobody really cares about you more than a couple of seconds or minutes and that everybody will go on with their own issues after that. But yes, that takes some few steps: first awareness, then acceptance, and after that, you will go through the discomfort of feeling their disapproval or else, your idea about their disapproval. Your job is continuing being yourself despite that discomfort, onwards.
Other's opinions can only harm you as long as you allow them to, and by becoming aware that you care and feeling that discomfort, you are closer to transcend it.
“What you deny or refuse subdues you. What you accept transforms you.", said Carl Jung, and I totally agree.
Love and peace,
Mindi