Have you seen a grown woman break down recently? Sobbing tears and red eyes because someone hurt her feelings. Or had someone call you “bossy”, a word more familiar on the playground rather than the workplace?
I’ve been in both scenarios the last several months. As the mother of a toddler, I realized what I was seeing at home with my growing guy was not different from what I saw outside with adults.
Words matter. They lift us up, so we can accomplish anything. Or they crush us to pieces, leaving us with no self worth.
I could interject platitudes here about how sticks and stones break our bones but words… That our mothers were right, if you don’t have anything nice to say, then…
But there’s a far more important lesson I learned. One that has more effectively replaced both of the other axioms.
TAKE NOTHING PERSONALLY.
If you haven’t read The Four Agreements, I highly recommend picking the book up for your poolside reading. It may not be a bodice ripper or crime thriller but it may help you stave off the boiling rage at the guy who cuts you off in traffic. Or the coworker who gets under your skin.
Have a read.
What are your strategies for keeping cool under provocation? After all, we’re all stuck on this planet until deep space let’s us trash Mars.
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