{"id":646,"date":"2025-12-25T12:51:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T11:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lidacraft.se\/?p=646"},"modified":"2026-04-05T03:29:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T01:29:25","slug":"approval-seeking-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lidacraft.se\/sv\/approval-seeking-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Approval Seeking Man"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He doesn\u2019t ask for much.
Just a little recognition.
A sign that he\u2019s doing things right.
That he is\u2026 enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So he adjusts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He listens carefully.
Speaks carefully.
Becomes what is needed in the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not because he\u2019s weak \u2014
but because somewhere along the way,
he learned that approval feels like safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

At some point, without even noticing,
he starts editing himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I was editing my life.
I was shaped from the outside, not from the inside.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He becomes more agreeable beneath the surface.
Confirms expectations.
Fits in\u2026 quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He thinks it\u2019s growth.
He thinks it\u2019s being careful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a cost to this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not rejection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The consequences I faced were not rejection\u2026
it was distortion.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He starts losing something internal.
A connection to himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I lost that internal connection.
It became identity fragmentation.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He is present\u2026 but not whole.
Moving\u2026 but not grounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

And still \u2014 he doesn\u2019t stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of dissolving it,
he fights it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He tries harder to be right.
More acceptable.
More understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I was filtering my thoughts before I spoke\u2026
afraid of rejection, of disagreement.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

I thought I was being careful.
But it was hesitation of my own perception.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He was not expressing.
He was negotiating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I saw myself negotiate my freedom.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a moment when something shifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not loud.
Not dramatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I forgot what was mine from the beginning.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As Epictetus said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

We live in negotiation instead of expression.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And that hits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because deep down, he knows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I have control over my judgment,
my intentions,
and my choices.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Nothing else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

So something begins to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not perfectly.
Not all at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But honestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n

My need to over-explain started to fade.
The hesitation before speaking weakened.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

My reactions no longer shaped me\u2026
my principles did.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

He stops trying to be understood by everyone.
Stops adjusting for comfort.
Stops performing for approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

He doesn\u2019t become louder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He becomes clearer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

He doesn\u2019t try to win everyone anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He starts standing with himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

And for the first time\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

he is not waiting to be chosen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

I WAS NEVER THE MASK<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

Explore the collection \u2192<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

He doesn\u2019t ask for much.Just a little recognition.A sign that he\u2019s doing things right.That he is\u2026 enough. So he adjusts. He listens carefully.Speaks carefully.Becomes what is needed in the moment. Not because he\u2019s weak \u2014but because somewhere along the way,he learned that approval feels like safety. At some point, without even noticing,he starts editing himself. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":647,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-growth"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lidacraft.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lidacraft.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lidacraft.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lidacraft.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lidacraft.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=646"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lidacraft.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":747,"href":"https:\/\/lidacraft.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646\/revisions\/747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lidacraft.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lidacraft.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lidacraft.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lidacraft.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}