It's natural for us to fear being rejected. We are social creatures after all, and having a sense of community and belonging is part of what it means to be human. We don't want to be outcasts, and so we try our best to fit in. Of course, these days, we are encouraged to embrace our differences and individuality as strengths. However, we can't escape that feeling of anxiety over what other people are thinking about us. It's just there, and we can either worry about it, ignore it, or care about it. And yes, there's a slight nuance between worrying and caring.
When we worry about something, we become awash with negative thoughts and emotions. As a response, we become defensive, and at times, we might try to push back. That can spiral down and cause us to even become paranoid to a certain extent. However, a more proactive approach, as suggested on Jeff Haden's article, is to care about what people think. Because then, you shift the focus from yourself and perceived inadequacies about you to other people, and what you can do for them, or what actions you can do to make people perceive you in a more positive light.
And in that sense, we can turn the crippling anxiety of worrying into a productive other-centered mindset of caring.
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When you're middle-aged, you don't care what people think of you.
When you're old, you realize that no one was ever thinking of you anyway.