Do Opinions of Others Drive Your Life ?

Opinions of others or self; Which matters more to you ?Self or Wealth; Which is more precious ?

He who is attached to things will suffer much.He who holds on will experience heavy losses.

A contented person is never disappointed.He who knows when to stop will stay forever safe.

In this verse of the Tao Tee Ching, the 2,500 year old book of oriental wisdom you are being asked to consider how you look at life.
Are you reacting to the outer things of life like wealth, fame or what people think of you ?
Or are we satisfied with how you feel from within your own self;
from within your own heart.

When you believe how you will feel each day is going to be based on events or things outside of you then you will always be disappointed. Why? because outside events always change; nothing in the material world stays the same. The old dies away the new is born every day.
To be truly happy each and every day you must not attach who you think you are to others opinions or actions.
You must instead be independent of others judgment of you and simply be what you want to be and what you truly are; an eternal and never changing spiritual being.

When you look around and believe you are your material body only you become attached to it and all other external things and events surrounding it. If however you realize you are in fact a spiritual being temporarily utilizing your body; you will be less likely to attach to things; only to have them disappoint you.

And then as the Tao states; you will never be disappointed in life, and you will remain forever safe despite living in a constantly changing world.