Liking Yourself

It's not your job to like me - it's mine. ~Byron Katie
 
Learning to like myself was one of the most difficult lessons in life for me to learn. I did everything I could to get the approval of others so that they would like me.  I was a people pleaser and in my mind I would try to figure out what I could say or do to get everyone to like me.  What I didn’t realize until later in life was that I needed to like myself and that was all that mattered.
 
At one point in my life, I was fortunate to have been selected as the Student Regent of the Arizona Board of Regents.  It was a valuable lesson for me because, as a people pleaser, I was going to make a lot of people unhappy.  I did not have thick skin, yet I would open the University and local newspapers and see caricature pictures of my head on a stealth bomber and read negative things about myself.  I learned that in every decision we made, we would upset a portion of the population and they did not like me.  I learned to make the best decision possible and detach from what people said about me and how they felt about me.  Now, I come from a place of authenticity and don’t worry about getting other’s approval. I learned to like myself and love myself.
 
Do you like yourself?
What do you do and how do you react when someone doesn’t like you or says something  negative about you?