2. What People Think About You
Here's something else you stop worrying about when you get older: people's opinions about you. Now, I'm not talking about close friends or relatives. The people closest to you are going to be the ones who's views you value...because sometimes your arse needs a good talking to. If that's the case, ultimately you want the people you know and respect the most to do the talking. But from the age of thirty, you're pretty much comfortable in your own skin (or at least I am). One of the perks of this is you stop trying to impress society, either consciously or otherwise. You know who you are and what you're capable of. When you're in school, it's important not to stand out, especially to those who antagonise. So you alter your perspectives and opinions in public. When I stopped liking sports, I didn't want my family and school friends to know. Everyone around me was a massive football and/or rugby fan so it felt odd to me that I didn't enjoy it just like them. I'm also a chubby-chaser. Again, I felt people around me would deem this sufficient ammo for mockery. So I lied to others (and myself I suppose) or at least just concealed the truth because I didn't want people thinking I was on oddball. Why am I telling you all this? Because it's not something I'm concerned about now that I've grown up. There's no need to justify why I am the way I am, and even if there was, I know I don't have to make sad excuses. I'm sure everyone has been in these situations before. You find yourself anxious about what others will say or think about you until it dawns on you later on in life that you don't owe them, or anyone, any sort of justification.