What People Think/Say About You Is None Of Your Business

You read the title, probably my longest title for my blog page yet. I've been thinking about writing this for the past couple of days now (you know something happened for me to write this). A couple of months ago, I read Nile Rodgers' 2011 autobiography "Le Freak" (it's a great read, so check it out!) and he was talking about his time going through rehab. During his time in rehabilitation, he said that he read some material but one thing that sticks to him this very day is this:

"What people think (say) about me is none of my business..."

When I read that, I was floored. For years, he looked for validation and acceptance from everyone else from his playing style (one of the baddest, if not the baddest guitarist of our time), his physical appearance, his character, and the list goes on. From his childhood into his 40s, he felt trapped about what people thought or said about him. I think after he read that quote, that changed his life forever and if you look at his YouTube videos, dude really doesn't care about what others think or say about him now. At 60-something years old, he's living his life to the fullest. As my wife was walking out the door to work as I came home from work, she told me about an appointment she had earlier in the day. Her counselor told her some observations she has about her character and man, she was right on. Being adopted and throughout her life, she fosters relationships that later hurt like crazy. She was looking  to be accepted by others even if that meant putting up with people's crap. Of course, this brings on the dreaded "what you think or about me is more important than how I see myself." Acceptance. Validation from others. Nonsense. But now she sees a new perspective and is making strides to become what Tyler Perry has said in the past, "I Can Do By All By Myself" (meaning, I don't need your opinion to make me into who I am). That's how I think now. A couple of days ago, she got a "disturbing" phone call from a former friend (who read some of my latest blog and brought a knife to a nuclear war to fight for the honor of the dishonorable)  and said a couple of things about me that just wasn't true and truly a "defamation of character." "He's evil. He's the devil. He's wicked." "What right does he have to say what he's saying." Just a couple of months ago, someone else called me a "venom." A couple of weeks ago, someone else called me "crazy." Over two decades ago a teacher called me a "failure." Need I say more? But I can say this, I don't care what people say about me because I know who I am. I'm David G.W. Overton, a 32 year old, newly MBA awarded, 10 years plus married, 14 year government employee tenured, North Carolinian, introverted, will get in your face and tell you about yourself if you piss me off, prefers verbal over physical lashings,  expositor-esque, A-typical, Gemini, godfather of two  kids, house music looking dude. If that comment was said to me maybe 3 years ago, I'd be hurt and crying. Now I'm laughing because what that person thinks or says about me is none of my business. Why is that, Dave? One quote that I love is from Tupac, "N----s (ignorant people, no matter what race they are) gonna hate you for whatever you do." True, isn't it? But knowing this frees me from the opinions of men and women who have no clue about who I am. You see, we live in an age where people will take a liar's word about who you are instead of getting information from you. People will say things to you and about you to destroy your rep (as Ghostface Killah said, "Jealousy"). Some people cannot stand being rejected by others and sell their souls just to fit in or for people to like them. But The Overtons aren't those people. We're in a league of our own and loving it. I say all that to say this, please, don't care what people say about you. You keep you doing you and be you. You keep being the model employee your job is looking for in front of your haters. Never lower your standards to help change what people think or say about you (people these days don't care if you give them the world, they'll still treat you like a dog, I know from experience). Keep walking your journey, shutting out the voices of stupidity that's around you. Be you and no one else. Let those dotards know, "what you think or say about me is none of my business."

Til next time, David "The Evil" (according to "that person") Overton......

PS: My heart goes out to the victims in Fort Hood, TX, my prayers are for you in this difficult time.