Utkarsh Chandel's Key Ideas from The Courage to Be Disliked
by ICHIRO. KOGA KISHIMI (FUMITAKE.), Fumitake Koga

Some people deal with dislike or disapproval in a very different way they would start a fight or an argument.

This implies that you’re a tyrant and won't tolerate any opposing force, this is not a solution either. The most ideal way is to be okay with it, Just Have the courage to be disliked.

I am not saying start doing things that everyone dislikes. Just be courageous enough to do what you do despite being disliked, only then you can truly achieve real freedom in this world. 

Courage is not about becoming indifferent to dislike or disapproval but more like moving ahead while acknowledging the opposing force. That is the psychology of courage by Alfred Adler. 

Alfred Adler was a physician, psychotherapist, and the founder of Adlerian psychology, sometimes called Individual Psychology which is also called the psychology of courage. Adler is often considered one of the big three founders of psychotherapy alongside Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.

Adlerian psychology emphasizes the importance of overcoming feelings of inferiority and gaining a sense of belonging in order to achieve success and happiness.

Sometimes in life, You will feel like you’re not enough, you’re not worth it, you're an unwanted loser etc. These feelings are termed feelings of inferiority in Adlerian psychology. 

Do not fear these emotions, these feelings of inferiority serve you immensely. The point is not to get rid of these emotions.

The point is to acknowledge them and keep striving despite feeling like not enough. That's the purpose of all these emotions, to push you forward.

They are like a launchpad.  Even the most successful person is constantly suffering from these feelings of inferiority.

We come into this universe as helpless beings and we all have a universal desire to escape that helpless state. Adler called this pursuit of superiority.

In The pursuit of superiority, we are constantly suffering from feelings of inferiority. The pursuit of superiority and the feeling of inferiority are not problems or diseases.

Sometimes we lose the courage to move forward and cling on to our current familiar state. We cannot accept the fact that our lives can be changed by making realistic efforts.

When people give up without even trying and say things like” I am not that smart, so I won’t succeed. I am not that good looking enough so I won't be able to become an actor. I don’t have this so I can’t do that. I don't have A, so I can't do B. 

Inferiority complex is a serious condition where a person gives up without even trying.

I know you have gone down this road many times before so Let’s play this game again for the sake of this discussion. If only I were born as him or her or even in better financial circumstances, my life would be so much better. He or she has it so easy, Why am I the only one who is suffering?

When you say if only I were him or her my life would have been so much better. It means that you’re not happy now, right? Say you could snap your fingers to become whoever you want to become, I bet you’d still feel the same way, not in the right body or circumstances. 

You’re so hung up on what you don’t have, that you forget how to make the most of what you have. 

It’s this perspective of lack or victim mentality that is stopping your growth. I am not saying there are no victims, there are definitely victims. So many terrible things happening all around the world. But With this mindset, you won’t be able to grow as a person.

We waste so much of our time and energy by fixating on things that can never be changed. Why not focus on things that we can change. This leads me to one of my favourite quotes of all time.

This is when I had a major epiphany and I truly realized the real meaning of Self-acceptance. So self-acceptance is: It’s okay for you to be you, not just the way you’re.

Because You could be so much more, you can be incomparably better across multi-dimension and in pursuing that better you will find the real meaning of life.

It is a tool which is of great use when you’re about to do something you have never done. Self-affirmation is making suggestions such as I can do it or I am strong even when I am not sure if I can or can’t. 

So I have heard people say this many times before that my only competition is with me, I only compete with myself but I never truly understood why someone wouldn’t wanna compete with anyone else. 

Actually, This phrase reflects the true meaning of self-acceptance and healthy feelings of inferiority.

According to Adlerian psychology, A healthy feeling of inferiority doesn’t come from comparing yourself to others, but from comparing yourself to your ideal self.

So Make a rule: I will not compare myself to others because it is unhealthy to do so. 

This is one of the reasons why you should have the best version of yourself in writing so you can compare and see, Am I there yet. 

Do this thing today when you’re free. Write down the best version of yourself, Be as specific as you can be like: My ideal self is Financially independent or Financially abundant, Highly skilled in such and such things, Fit in physique, He or she has this much money in his or her account, Family can rely on him or her. Whatever it is that you see in your best version of yourself, Write it down.