People Pleasing

This one is about people pleasing. 

I have always been a people pleaser and I am getting better at not doing it now but it’s a lifelong habit I am trying to break. This is common with low self-esteem and usually means you are seeking worth from other people via their approval.

People pleasers commonly do things that they don’t really want to for approval and to avoid disproval of others. This means you are giving the people around you a lot of power and control over your decisions and how you live your life.  

In terms of aerial this could be stopping you from making the type of work you want to make, training more than you want to, doing work/gigs that don’t serve you and generally not looking after your own needs. Over time this can get tiring and the lack of fulfilment often leaves you feeling burnt-out emotionally and/or physically. 

I see this a lot in the aerial industry and it is clear that people feel they need to be a certain way or do things a certain way to be considered a successful aerialist. This external influence can encourage us to change our behaviours and ideas to ‘fit in’ and be accepted in the real and virtual world.

In my experience I lost touch with my own opinions and ideas on things due to external influence having such a strong hold over me. It’s an uncomfortable and confusing position to be in and took lots of inner work and therapy to get me out. I feel like I have a lot more control over my time and am starting to understand if I am doing something that feels fulfilling and authentic to me then the approval of others matters a lot less.  

Can you relate to any of this and has it impacted your aerial work/ creativity/ career?