Sit back and think about a time you really wanted to impress someone(or people). How often does this happen? Have you made an extra effort to impress anyone recently? Does it make you sad sometimes because you might have to do something you're not comfortable with? More often than not, people go out of their way to make other people appreciate them. This is called people pleasing, and this constant need to impress others is a terrible thinking error. One thing I can do to overcome my thinking error of people pleasing is to only relate with people who make me feel loved and share similar values.

My personal experiences have shown me that investing in people who share similar values with me is a bold step in overcoming this error. Because one of my thinking errors is people pleasing, I made a conscious effort to only make friends and engage people who share similar values with me and make me feel loved. Engaging only with people of similar values makes it easier for me to essentially be myself. There is no need for me to impress them all the time, because we are of the same tribe. This has made me realise that it is not possible to be liked by everyone and because not everyone likes me doesn't mean I am a bad person. Infact, most of the time good people aren't popular. I know now that paying attention to the people who share similar values with me and sticking with them will help me manage and eventually overcome my thinking error.

People pleasing might not seem like such a bad idea initially, but in the long run it can destroy a person's confidence and terribly affect one's mental health. Find and surround yourself with only people who want to see you grow. Do not let people who do not value you have a place in your life.