Turn It Upside Down

Here we all are, it is 2017 and the world around us is so FULL.

We could see that to mean so many things, every one has their own interpretation of someone else’s words.  I personally have found myself thinking one thing, when the owner of such words is thinking the complete opposite.  A very wise therapist once told me we all are “meaning making machines”.  Those words have echoed in my brain for years since, and that has been quite powerful.

I talk about inner peace a lot at the end of my classes, what our inner peace is, and all of the many things it is connected to all day, every day.  Imagine you wake up feeling refreshed, renewed and ready for a great day.  You get yourself together, head out to your favorite cafe to read a book you’ve been joyfully anticipating, when suddenly you get a text, an email, a phone call from someone who says something to you that you take in a negative way.  You feel judged.  You feel hurt.  Suddenly your awesome state of inner peace has been shaken and completely turned upside down.  That totally sucks!!!

I wonder…do we really have a choice in not letting someone else’s words crush our spirit and ruin our state of mind?  Could it really be up to us to keep that happy attitude in tact?  100% the answer to both of those questions is YES!!!!  I am not saying it’s easy, but I have learned with practice, patience and will, we can just as easily decide to think those words meant something else….even if it seems they could not be exchanged as positive…..we can spin in it in our heads the other way.  I’ve successfully done this many times….and a larger percentage turned out to be I was wrong in the meaning I put on those words.  The other percentage I never even spent the time investigating because it was too trivial to do so, and the rest…well, there are definitely people who want to crap on other people’s happiness….we can’t control that, only how we respond!

So here is my little exercise I offer to you……. the next time you find your mood changing because of someone else’s words, try this:

  1. Ask yourself, am I putting MY meaning onto their words?  If this is the case, and you care enough about this relationship, simply ask the person to clarify what they meant in their statement. You may be pleasantly surprised, and save yourself a whole lotta unnecessary emotional turmoil.
  2. Maybe just decide to put a positive spin on it instead…and see how that goes.

Our state of mind….our attitude, is an integral part of our healthy inner peace.  Be sure to take care of yours as often as you can.

Just so you know….for those of you who thought my meaning about it being a FULL world had to do with an abundance of opportunities to be creative and go out there and capture your dreams…be it a job you love, even if it brings you less money, or finding a new hobby with the tap of your fingers on a screen that opens endless avenues……you hit the nail on the head.  If you went down a road that could’ve made you feel stressed or dampened your spirits…turn that meaning making UPSIDE DOWN!!!  🙂

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