Do enough people dislike you?

One of the differences between great literature and mediocre literature is the intention behind them. If the author looks at what's selling, thinks about their target audience, and writes what they hope people will enjoy, then mediocre fiction is the best they'll produce.  But if he or she write from the heart with no regard for an audience, for sales figures, for the zeitgeist, or for what publishing houses are pushing, then fantastic: they're in with a shot at writing something great.

There's a downside if you adopt the second approach though, and it's that you are going to polarise opinion. Many more people are going to hate what you write. And worse: people will conflate you, the person, with your written work. And they'll hate you too. Can you live with that?

Now go back to the first sentence and replace the word 'literature' with the word 'people'.  It's still true.  If you are afraid of people disliking you for your opinion then you will never achieve your full potential.  Worse, you'll be trapped in a world full of fear of your own making.

If people aren't disliking you or being irritated by you then either you are keeping too low a profile, or you're not expressing your true opinions. People-pleasers are rarely hated; they also rarely achieve much. There is a 'correct dose' of being disliked.  How much would Gandhi have accomplished if he was worried about upsetting people? How about Mandela, Martin Luther King, Churchill, Elvis, Oprah, or Steve Jobs?

(Warning: the next few concepts are easy to state and difficult to implement). Always express your personality freely, and let people make up their own minds about you.  People may not like you, but they will admire you for being honest about what you think and feel.  Never fear being disliked.  Not being affected by what people think about you should be a guiding principle of your life.

If you're not rubbing at least a few people up the wrong way, then take a look at whether you're expressing yourself openly, or being held back by what you fear people will think. Your life; your choice. But if you want advice (and I hate unsolicited advice as much as you do) then try this:  Be open. Be honest. Be unafraid.