Convex Expectations
We were all born with mirrors.
When we're young, some of us are told that our value comes from how other people see us. Others were told it doesn't matter.
Of course, the reality is that there are over 7 billion people on this planet. Some people will have expectations of you. Most people won't.
Those that were trained to to conform to approval had their mirror bent for them, creating an outsized image of who's looking in, and how much it matters.
Maybe when we ask "but what will they think," we're looking at that warped reflection. Maybe we can unbend it.