Leslie, thank you for that thoughtful question. I am thankful for the wise advice I have been given over the years by many mentors and fairy Godmothers in my life, and it is so hard to pick the most important advice I've ever been given but here goes.
Somewhere I read, "What others think of me is none of my business." This has resonated with me because I used to think it was important to try and please as many people as I could and if I failed in pleasing them I felt like a failure. Now I try and respect everyone's right to their own opinion. Which means the opinion they have about me is not any of my concern and it has freed me to be who I want to be for myself and it has been a great relief.