We all want to be liked. We see this from a young age where children do things to get attention and affection. Adults aren’t much different. We want to be the highlight of the party. We want everyone’s affection. However, this often comes at a steep price.
Shane Parrish discussed the desire to be liked in his weekly blog: “If everyone likes you, you’re doing something wrong. Every time someone disapproves of you, your brain registers it as a survival threat. Evolution wired us to believe that rejection equals death. If the tribe kicked you out, you didn’t survive the winter. But the world has changed. Being disliked is necessary to live a meaningful life. The cost of making decisions to please others instead of yourself is misery.”
This goes along with what we have been saying at PCC® for a long time: “Quit following the herd!” I can’t believe how much peer pressure there is in farming and ranching. It’s like crabs in a bucket. When someone tries to better themselves, they get pulled back down to the bottom of the bucket.
I still can’t understand how such a fiercely independent group of people (farmers and ranchers) care so much about what their neighbors think of them. This is why it’s so hard to change. We want to be liked, and we care too much about what other people think of us. Shouldn’t we care more about being profitable? Shouldn’t we care more about passing on the farm or ranch to the next generation?
I challenge you in the new year to try something new. Get out of your comfort zone. Do something “crazy” that will make your neighbors question what you are doing. It is so freeing not to worry about what other people think of you. Take the first step and discover how easy it is to take the second step. You will be a Herd Quitter® in no time!
Quote Worth Re-Quoting
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” ~ T. S. Eliot