If you live for people's acceptance, you will die from their rejection! - Lecrae

“Don't die being a people pleaser. The same people who said ‘Hosanna, Hosanna’, said ‘crucify Him’,” warned motivational speaker and author, Sally-Ann Gray.

The woman recalled that for a long time, she used to be someone who wanted everyone to be happy with her life and decisions.

In fact, she revealed that she would opt not to do something just because she felt as if others would be offended, that is, until she realised that everyone was busy living their own lives while she was awaiting permission to live hers.

Remembering the moment which changed her perspective forever, Gray told Family & Religion that she had a friend who would get upset if she didn’t run a decision by her.

“But every time I ran it by her, she had something negative to say and why my idea would not work. No encouragement. It was toxic. So I started to step back from the friendship and one of the first things I realised was that she never came to me asking my opinion on one thing. So I had to separate from that friendship. Best thing I did.

“In my first book, The Renewal, I talk about cleaning up your circle. Once I cleaned house and only got people in my life who were supportive of who God called me to be, everything changed,” she said, adding that she cannot underscore the importance of knowing this as a truth.

And once this truth was unearthed and her need to please others vanquished, the woman of God testified that she was then able to walk in purpose, set goals and achieve them without fear of people being upset with her because they disagreed with what she was doing.

“That's the sauce: know the truth and it shall set you free. Many people say they want a different reality, but are they committed to doing what it takes to create the result?” she asked, adding that a charge for others come 2019 to get the toxic people out of their lives as their purpose depend on it.

Taking a quote from her latest book, Planted in Purpose, which was launched yesterday, Gray noted: “Judge a tree by the fruit it bears. Not by the fruit it talks about or professes. You can tell how serious you are not by what you say, but by what you do.

“People want you to do well as long as it not better than them, so if you remove people from your life who have that mindset then things can change,” she ended.