The power of tribal Acceptance ...

Most of us feel a very strong motivation to be thought well of by our tribe. To feel rejected by those we want to like us, or even love us, can be one of life’s most painful experiences. Many of us have felt this … and it hurts, badly.

The powerful need to be loved or even just accepted by those close to us, is also something that can hold us back from trying out new things (code for ‘temporarily looking foolish’). 

Tying our sense of self-worth to what others think of us, is not the best way to ‘do life’. We want the love of our family, spouse, children, friends - and to an extent, the more distant members of our ’social circle’ - certainly; but being paralysed out of a fear of ridicule or rejection is what I call life’s ‘invisible straight-jacket’. 

To escape the straight-jacket, we should surround ourselves only with people that are okay with our failures; supportive of our attempts to try new things; people who ‘actually’ understand the responsibility around what it is to be a friend.