Taking things personally? It isn't always about you.

Today I was preparing a soup recipe that required me to fry up some bacon and crumble it. I did this and found I was left with a fairly decent amount of grease in the pan. As I went to dispose of the grease, I managed to spill it all over my hand and wrist. I now have some lovely second degree burns and a little bit of inspiration. Did the frying pan intentionally spill the grease on my hand? Does it have it in for me and tirelessly plot against me? Of course not. That would be ridiculous. So why would we feel that other people do this to us? Yes, there are certainly some toxic folks out there, who do intentionally hurt others, but the majority of us are not all that consumed with others. We are, generally, consumed with ourselves.

Some of us take many things others do, say or think personally. We live in a mentality of me, me, me, when in reality the only thing that is about us is our own thoughts and actions. The thoughts and actions of others are about them, not you and as soon as you see this, you can be more free. When you take things personally, such as a friend not calling, declining an invitation or having an opinion different from yours, you set yourself up to feel hurt and upset. What you need to know is that you cannot control the thoughts or actions of others. You need to stop thinking everything is centred around you because we all have our own reality. Perhaps your friend didn't call because they were busy and if they just didn't feel like it that is their entitlement, too. Nobody owes anything to you and you should never expect it. Yours and everyone else's thoughts and actions are for the most part self driven, that's why you should never assume it is about you when it is someone else who said it, did it or thought it.

We all have some level of insecurity and anxiety about things we cannot control, but it is important to just step back and let go as much as possible. Once you are able to stop and not worry about others' intentions and just your own, you will see that you and no one else can make you feel inferior without your permission. When you work on your opinion of yourself and feel good about who you are, you will more than likely stop caring or needing validation from others. Other people's opinions, criticisms, actions and thoughts won't matter as much if you detach yourself and realize it is about them and not you.

Are you often told you take things too personally? If you are, why would you choose to live in such a negative reality?