I think it’s human nature for us to want to be liked. Back in the days when we all lived in tribes, being disliked could result in you being ostracised from the collective and forced to fend for yourself.
Nine times out of ten, that meant death.

That fear remains in the collective unconscious of every human being. And you can see how powerful it is by looking at Social Media. It’s so important for users to have as many likes as possible that they actively set up campaigns to achieve that goal and feel like failures if they don’t. I think we sometimes need to embrace dislike because there is value in it.

When you are free of the fear of what people will say, then you can be honest with yourself. That’s why I love creating antagonists for my stories. They may have a skewered view of the world, but within the confines of their reality, they will tell you from the heart how they feel. They don’t want to fit in, and neither should you, gentle reader. Being your truest and most authentic self is going to upset some people, but it doesn’t matter. You just have to accept that being disliked is part of the process. And that’s what I like about my antagonists. No people pleasing for them. Unless your views align with, there’s then you need to step aside. They don’t care what the world at large thinks about them. They have a goal and will trample anyone in their way.
Now that is honesty.

Having concerns about being liked uses so much of your energy. All that focus that goes into the dramas involved with caring what others think of you could be redirected elsewhere. And when you do, it’s a weight off your shoulders.

The minute we realise that other people’s opinions have absolutely no bearing on our self-worth, we’re free.
We are not reliant on the praise or derision of anyone.
We are not at the mercy of external forces. It’s what we feel about ourselves inside that matters.
Nothing can stop us if we can be okay with the idea of being disliked.
Understand it.
Practise it.
Make it a habit.
Trust me, it’s a skill worth having.

“Unless one is unconcerned by other people’s judgments, has no fear of being disliked by other people, and pays the cost that one might never be recognised, one will never be able to follow through in one’s own way of living. That is to say, one will not be able to be free.”
― Ichiro Kishimi