Sometimes people in your life will treat you poorly, and unfortunately, that is just the reality. Some people are suffering with a lot with their own demons and drama, which has them act less than appropriately to the people around them. You cannot influence their behavior. All you can do is understand and own your reaction. If somebody in your life is causing you grief, is being an asshole or is treating you poorly, it’s up to you to be able to handle that. Own your reaction and either disconnect from that person and walk away or handle it by not letting your anger, violence or aggression get the better of you.
This can happen in so many areas of your life from your relationships, your career, your children, your friendships through to interactions with other people driving in traffic. There is a huge amount of road rage and anger that seems to be stemming from conflicts in society these days, but I believe this is one of the fundamental parts that we have lost. We have lost the ability to recognize and understand that we need to own our own reactions to the people around us; and just because somebody else has a negative attitude or treats us poorly, us reacting in the same way is no excuse.
There is a line in the sand between what you will accept in your life and what other people will try to give you or may try to perpetrate against you. For instance, I have a rule for my two gorgeous daughters, if somebody is pushing them or bullying them or trying to physically hurt them, the first time they tell them to stop; the second time they tell them to stop and tell them there will be a consequence of physical violence; the third time, I tell them to punch that person as hard as they can in the face. That may be something that many of you disagree with, but for me, I do not want my children growing up in society where they’re a victim of what happens around them. The other part that I strongly influence and teach them is that violence is not the answer. If I find out that they’re the people starting this violence, there will be hell to pay. What the girls are aware of is they’re responsible for how they react and act in their life, and so are you.
If somebody is treating you poorly and they’re treating you with less than the respect that you deserve, your reaction is still your responsibility. Just because somebody else is behaving poorly and less than optimally, it doesn’t give you the permission to act in a similar way. You are an adult.
You are somebody who is responsible for your actions and your reactions. You are responsible for the way that you interact with other human beings. Take that responsibility seriously. Don’t let an asshole drag you down and make you perform and behave like an asshole. Make sure you are strong, focused, loving, caring and connected, but most of all, make sure that you own your reactions to the people around you.
