We shouldn’t have to go deaf before learning to trust ourselves versus looking for approval from others. This is exactly the lesson that Spanish painter Goya had to learn the hard way. According to Andre Malraux, upon going deaf in 1792 Goya realized, “to allow his genius to become apparent to himself it was necessary that he should dare to give up aiming to please.” Therefore, he did not come into his full potential until he stopped hearing the critics and influencers around him.

How often do we look to others for approval? This stifles our creative instincts, and honestly makes for a boring world. Dare to be different! Exposing your true self can be scary for fear of rejection or ridicule. But, what could be worse than saying I should have? Instead of turning lives over to the expectations of others, take the reins back and rise to your true potential!