I feel very lucky that as a kid it was repeated to many so many times not to worry about what others think of me. Just do what is right and in the end others will either see my point of view or they probably weren't worth having as friends anyways. This is a very simplified version of what they said, but it's close enough.
Over the years there have been times some of my closest friends probably hated me for a minute, have had fist fights with a couple of them, yet now 25 plus years later we all are still amazing friends. When someone can have 20 plus friends travel out of state to spend a day with them to celebrate a birthday when all those friends have kids and other responsibilities you know that you've done something right in life.
These days I spend more time trying to instill this knowledge that you can't just follow the crowd like sheep into my kids. "but others are doing it" is something that will never fly in my home. If others are doing wrong it doesn't mean that it's ok for you to do the same.
Any day of the week I'll stand alone if it means I'm shinning a light on a wrong. In the end others will come to the those who are shining a light on an issue. That light will draw in those who were afraid to say something first, but knew in their heart that something was wrong. It only takes one to start a movement.
Yeah, being bogged down by what other people think and expect of you can be limiting your potential. We can't just go along to get along, as that just keeps things the same way, and others are choosing how we go forward.