You may feel defensive and guarded today, unwilling to reveal your true thoughts and feelings to the individuals you encounter throughout your day. Your reticence may be the result of a premonition predicting that others will reject your opinions, ideas, and values. Yet consider that even if colleagues, friends, or family members take issue with your beliefs, the notions you hold dear are likely no less valid. This can be a positive time to examine your self-protective instincts to determine why you feel threatened by criticism. If you reaffirm your commitment to that which is important to you today, you may come to realize that others have no real power to influence your opinions or rob you of your rights.

We no longer feel the need to seek outside justification of our individual rights and beliefs when we accept that our lives are worthy because we know them to be so, rather than because others acknowledge our existence. Thus empowered to meet criticism of our individual philosophies without resorting to a defensive stance, we can engage in stimulating and eye-opening debates with those whose opinions differ from our own. Our confidence is the result of our surety that the paths we follow are the correct ones. It cannot be shaken by others, or broken by circumstance, because we understand that while our core values might not be right for others, they are most certainly right for us. You will not feel the need to defend your existence self-protectively today when you are certain of your legitimacy.