Another Look at Limiting Beliefs

Another look at limiting beliefs. 

A limiting belief, according to Gretchen Rubin, is a belief that holds you back or limits your ability to live your most authentic life. 

One of my most crippling limiting beliefs is the belief that everyone should like me. As a child I don't remember it being so important, but by my teenage years it had become all consuming. Unfortunately, unlike the acne I left behind in my adolescence, this belief is one I've carried throughout my life. 

Each time it comes into question that someone might not particularly like me, or approve of my actions, it brings me great concern and anxiety. I begin to question all that I have done assuming I've done something wrong. What could I have done differently that would be more suited to their expectations? 

By clinging so tightly to this belief I have questioned myself, limited myself, and have not really been my true self. I have become what is called a "social chameleon," always shifting myself in order to gain approval. Never quite sure exactly what I like or want, and always gaging it against what I think others deem best. 

Each time I come across a situation where I sense that someone is not happy with me I find it difficult to shake off that uneasy feeling. I find the script in my head spinning in a panic trying to figure out what I could have done differently. 

I had never thought of my approval seeking as a limiting belief, but it is. Seeking the approval of others should not be the driving force in my life. I'm now left wondering what would be the consequences of choosing to abandon this limiting belief?