Impressing

“If you should ever turn your will to things outside your control in order to impress someone, be sure that you have wrecked your whole purpose in life. Be content, then, to be a philosopher in all that you do, and if you wish also to be seen as one, show yourself first that you are and you will succeed.” -Epictetus, Enchiridion

“If you find yourself acting to impress others, or avoiding action out of fear of what they might think, you have left the path.” -Epictetus, The Manual: A Philosopher’s Guide to Life

“We buy things we don’t need, to impress people we don’t like.” -Tyler Durden, Fight Club

The people you are trying to impress…why exactly are you trying to impress them again? And what would it feel like to not care about impressing anyone, ever again?

Awareness is the key.

Carry on.