We all have them. We all have an opinion about everything. Sometimes it is a spontaneous impression, a reflex through something we already knew or a feeling. We even have an opinion although we try to convince ourselves not to have one or when we are insecure we listen to others first and decide if we go with their opinion.

Anyway, we have opinions. Opinions are points of view that occur from the way we look at life and what we experienced then. That’s also why opinions can change. We have different experiences or we are open enough to listen to other people’s opinions which can make us see a greater context, a bigger picture, or simply a specific or important part we overlooked by then. But still, it is an opinion – one of billions.

What I try to say is that an opinion is not a truth. It may be a truth for that particular person at that particular moment but it is not a general truth. Opinions are also important to make us walk towards particular goals which again can change once the opinion changes. This too confirms that an opinion can never be THE truth because THE truth doesn’t change. Opinions are subjective and therefore it is nonsense to fight over an opinion. No one will ever win.

The most influencing opinion in our lives is the opinion of ourselves – the way we think and feel about ourselves AND (even more important because it can affect our lives dramatically) the opinion of others regarding our person. If certain people don’t think nice of us and always complain about what we do or how we live our lives, it can cause insecurity and fear. It can be one single person to cause this if they are in the right position that we are receptive to their opinions. The more dependent we are on someone the more weight their opinion. But it is still only an opinion. The cause can be jealousy, low self-esteem they have themselves and the need to dominate others, a big ego and to feed it by controlling others, fearing something about you, or envying you about something they don’t or can’t have or be.
(I am not talking here about obvious threats! When your instinct sends a message you should follow it. I am talking about discriminating, hurting, or offending others only because they are who they are.  And that – in my opinion – has always to do with those people in the first place.) 

But let’s look at positive opinions. They make us feel good, nurture our self-esteem, and encourage us. They make us smile and empower us. But because there seems no jealousy or fear getting in the way, does that make a positive opinion more of a truth? Not at all! It still is an opinion – and opinions can change. The funny thing is that we tend to believe a bad opinion even more than a good one. Imagine you have written a book and you get 10 reviews. 9 are praising the book to the max but one says some negative things. I don’t even mean it totally spurns it. Just something you perhaps thought was very good. Now, what lingers more on your mind? The nine positive reviews or that one negative review?

But what or whom shall we believe now? The good or the bad opinions about us? You know what? NONE of them!! Whatever opinion – good or bad – is an opinion. You can accept one more as the other one and of course, the good ones make more sense because they feel good and help you more to be who you are. But they also hold the danger of making you go in a certain direction only because you receive other people’s approval that way. Opinions are not the person they are about and not the one who has them. They are an imagination from what we know so far.

Relying on opinions can be very tricky either way! Whether positive or negative – they still are opinions that can change with the weather. I don’t say, ignore what others tell you. They can give you important hints and new points of view. But don’t ever believe it is a truth. Take from other people’s statements about your person what fits you. Also, a negative opinion can have exactly the message you need to act in a certain way and make the experiences you need to make for your own personal development. The greatest pioneers arose from other people’s negative opinions. Always keep in mind that whatever opinion someone has about you or about your life: Don’t identify yourself with it. You are not what others think of you. You are not even what you think of yourself. But it does affect and direct your life. Look at opinions, taste them, and then form your own opinion! But this is only my opinion 😉

In Love and Light