There once a father and a son walking to town with their donkey, and as they walked, someone laughed. “Why are you walking? You have a donkey. Ride it.” And so, the son climbed on. And a little further down the road, someone shook their head. “What kind of son lets his father walk?” So, they switched places. But soon another person says, “Look at that poor child walking while his father rides.” So, they both climbed onto the donkey. But a little further, someone cried, “That poor donkey. You’re making it carry too much.” So, both got off, and now they were completely confused.

Finally, they decided that the only way to make everyone happy was to carry the donkey themselves. Imagine walking down the road carrying the very animal that was supposed to be carrying you. People laughed even harder. Every person they met had an opinion, and the opinions weren’t completely wrong, but they made one mistake. They treated every opinion like it deserved to decide what they did next. That’s what many of us do. We decide what one person might think, then another, then another. Eventually, we’re not making decisions based on what is right. We’re making our decisions based on how no one can disagree, and that’s exhausting. So next time you’re stuck, ask yourself this one question: “Am I trying to make a good decision, or am I trying to make a decision that no one could criticize?” Because those aren’t the same thing.

And if you spend your entire life trying to carry other people’s opinions, you may end up carrying a donkey.

“Care about what other people think, and you will always be their prisoner.”
-Lao Tzu

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right—for you’ll be criticized anyway.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt

“The greatest prison people live in is the fear of what other people think.”
-David Icke