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Getting rejected by the herd has been one of the most positive influences in my life.
I previously wrote about overcoming a battle with depression during my middle and high school years. The quick version of the story is that I took ADHD medicine, it zapped my personality, and within months I lost all of my friends.
At the time, the only thing that I wanted was to be liked and accepted by others. But I was rejected by the herd and I didn’t have many friends during those years.
The experience broke me. And high school was a tough and lonely time.
But through the process of being broken and being forced to re-build who I am, it helped me to build a very strong sense of self and it made me into a stronger person.
And as a result of spending time independently, I learned to think independently, unencumbered by the thoughts and opinions of the herd.
If you’re in a similar type of situation where you’ve been rejected by the herd, take advantage of the opportunity to cultivate your relationship with yourself and to learn to think freely.
And understand that you only have two long-term options: view the situation negatively, or positively.
In the moment, accepting that there’s a long-term benefit may not lessen the short-term pain.
But on a macro level, it’s important to recognize that all experiences (good or bad) are ultimately a net positive and help develop you into the person that you’re supposed to become.
Note: one key add on to this post is that if you’re unhappy with the herd that you’re surrounded by, make a change! You always have the option to switch cities, schools, jobs, etc.
Changing communities is one of the easiest ways to reset and become significantly happier.
Related reading: Why solo traveling is one of the best ways to press the reset button in life
You can watch the full video of this here:
