The Enormous Cost of Looking Good

We don't worry about what people think of us. We worry about what we think people think of us.Episode 2 of What to Believe. I expose another mechanistic ego reaction — the need to look good in the eyes of others. It feels so natural we don't even register it as a thing, which is why it runs us. Same mechanism as the need to be right from Episode 1, different content.I work through three reasons it matters: how wrong we are about what others think, how much it costs us in life and business (the Korean Air crash, the South African judge), and the drama it creates personally and politically. I share my own experience of losing a business in my forties and what it took to survive the shame of starting again at the bottom.Then the practical work: the white coat and clipboard test, the blue ball exercise for tracking who you're giving your power to, and how to push the boundary and prove to yourself you'll survive.Hosted by Neil Bierbaum — former investigative journalist, master coach (ICF MCC), MPhil Leadership Coaching (cum laude), faculty member at Stellenbosch Business School. New episodes Sunday mornings.Come sceptical. Stay curious.DONATE — Support this work: https://paypal.me/whattobelieve SUBSTACK — Written companions and bonus features: https://substack.com/@neilbierbaum COURSES — Deep-dive focused topics: https://neilbierbaum.com/self-coaching-online-personal-landing-page/ BOOKS — In-depth material: https://www.amazon.com/Neil-Bierbaum/e/B079TYRSQG ENGAGE — Work with me directly: https://neilbierbaum.com