Comments on: Avoiding Failure: 7 Tips NOT to Try to Please Everybody

By: 10 Things to Avoid to Find Happiness in Life | Life Optimizer

10 Things to Avoid to Find Happiness in Life | Life Optimizer — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:44:19 +0000

[...] is a major pitfall. Often we are afraid of negative things people may say about us that we end up trying to please everybody. But that’s a vain attempt. No matter how good you try, you will never be able to please [...]

By: Personal Branding | Enjoy The Process

Personal Branding | Enjoy The Process — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:37:32 +0000

[...] waste your time and energy trying to reach the wrong people; you can’t please everybody. So find the kind of people who would need the value you offer. To help you do this, there is a [...]

By: Donald Latumahina

Donald Latumahina — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:46:34 +0000

White Calla,
Yes, some guys are bad, and some guys - though aren’t bad - just don’t fit us. We shouldn’t waste our time trying to please them.

By: My White Calla

My White Calla — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:45:22 +0000

You cannot please everybody. Why? Everybody is not always good. Some of them can be bad. Do you mean to say you want to please the bad guys too?

Simple theory.

Thanks for the post!

By: The 10 Immutable Laws of Personal Branding | Life Optimizer

The 10 Immutable Laws of Personal Branding | Life Optimizer — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 05:53:30 +0000

[...] waste your time and energy trying to reach the wrong people; you can’t please everybody. So find the kind of people who would need the value you offer. To help you do this, there is a [...]

By: Donald Latumahina

Donald Latumahina — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 01:28:55 +0000

Leisureguy,
Thanks for sharing your story. It’s a good example of how bad it is to try to please everybody. Being ourselves is a much better way to live. As you said, it takes much less energy and it’s more satisfying.

Albert,
You are right, we bloggers face this danger when our blogs grow. It will be stressful if we try to meet everyone’s expectation. Thankfully we do not need to do that :) Thanks for dropping by!

By: Albert | UrbanMonk.Net

Albert | UrbanMonk.Net — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:26:15 +0000

Heya Donald, just thought I’d drop by to visit my friend, and found this fantastic piece. It really is very timely. We all need this, especially once our blogs get bigger and bigger, don’t we?

Cheers,
Albert
UrbanMonk.Net
Modern personal development, entwined with ancient spirituality.

By: Leisureguy

Leisureguy — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:03:58 +0000

Many years ago I had occasion to see a counselor. I was wondering about various dissatisfactions in my personal life, and she spotted the problem exactly: whenever I encountered someone who didn’t like me, I immediately (and without thinking about it) set out to win them over. And I was usually able to do it.

The result was that I had a lot of “friends” who liked the me that I had manufactured but who would not care at all for the me that was in fact me. Totally unsatisfying. And, though it was hard to tell, I had undoubtedly forgone many close friendships because the people who might enjoy the real me were not interested in the fake me.

She suggested that I try just being myself, in the expectation that some would not much care for me—but those who did like me would like the real me, and I would have real instead of constructed friendships.

I did that, and sure enough, some people don’t much like me—but those who do become really close friends. And it takes so much less energy and it’s so much more satisfying.

By: Donald Latumahina

Donald Latumahina — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 01:26:17 +0000

Duncan,
Isn’t that a bit too drastic? I’m not sure that will work, but good if it works for you.

By: Duncan

Duncan — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:37:38 +0000

Open your dayplanner and write NO in each page.
When people call up asking for your time, you open your planner to the page and say “no”…