Are You Taking Things Too Personally?

Whenever you interact with other people you have the choice to listen, engage, acknowledge, agree, disagree and let go of what they say, or you can take what they say personally and feel hurt or attacked. What anyone says or does doesn’t necessarily have to do with you because it is usually based on their own emotions, experiences and perceptions. If you do take what they say or do personally, you will most likely end up feeling hurt no good reason –you are hurting yourself by doing so!

When you take things personally and are hurt by the words or actions of other person that means that you are assuming negative intent and that there is a part of you that believes it. Are the other person’s words or actions just reinforcing some insecurity you have? If you know that what the other person says is untrue, why would it affect you?  This is yet another reason why being very self-aware and having absolute confidence is so incredibly important. If someone says something negative about you, the negative comments will have no strength and will not be able to hurt you.  You get to choose to believe what other people say about you, and you are the one who gives power to their words and actions which will determine whether or not you take things personally. When you learn to stop taking things personally you will not let anyone’s perceptions, words or actions affect how you see yourself.

Taking things personally makes you prey for predators. They can hook your attention with one little opinion and feed you whatever poison they want. Refuse to eat poison!