I am fan of the Art of Manliness Blog.  The simple goal is for men to be the best they can be.  However, this post on being your own man isn't just for men.  It's for women too.

The part I especially like deals with having supporters and people who like you.  Inherently, they are important, but I had not fully considered the issue in depth before.  Here's the gist, but you should read the whole article.

At times we are seduced by so thoroughly being our own person that we trick ourselves into thinking that it is ok if no one likes us.  "What do they know anyway, I'm trying to do something great here."  This is a trap and flawed. 

We should be concerned if no one likes us.  It may be a sign we need to modify our behavior because we are so far off base.  On the opposite side we shouldn't be deluded that we can get everyone to like us.  Coming into the middle from the edges (loved by all vs hated by all) should not be looked at as selling out to the middle; just balancing life.