Read this tweet from Robert Greene, author of “The 48 Laws of Power,” “Mastery” and several other classics.
“Train yourself to take nothing personally.”
You know the most common reply he got?
“…HOW?”
I’ll tell you how.
Because like so many bits of true wisdom, I first heard it as a kid. I nodded, “Yeah, of course.” And went on to take too many things personally.
I’ve gotten much better at not taking things personally. And I hope that ten years from now, I’ll be able to say that I’ve gotten even better.
What does it mean to “take something personally?”
My take: Someone says something or does something. You hear it or see it.
And somehow what you hear and see means that YOU are lacking. YOU are at fault.
And you get offended by that. You feel that you’ve been unjustly accused. You’ve been misunderstood.
…by that OTHER person.
Usually, they said or did something that highlighted a weakness you already see in yourself.
That sets off a chain reaction, right?
You’ve already working through the drudgery of your journey.
You’ve been working on your Mental Toughness, to keep focused on what energizes you into action.
And then… boom. You take it personally.
It knocks your thinking off the balancing beam you’ve been working to keep it on.
Instantly, you’re back in old habits. Feeling sorry for yourself. Frustrated. Overwhelmed. Stuck.
The next ten minutes are shot. Which quickly ruins how you feel and perform for the rest of the day.
It continues until you get your thinking back up on the balancing beam. All day? All week? All month?
All because… someone SAID something and you HEARD it to mean something you don’t want to be true. You took it personally.
And you think you’re a logical, rational being?!
😉
“Train yourself to take nothing personally.”
When you’re up there on the Mental Toughness balancing beam, people will come along and poke you.
It’s your job to see it for what it is: An opportunity to improve your balance.
They’re saying and doing what they’re saying and doing for their own reasons. They’ve got their own insecurities and demons.
To become great, you NEED others to come along and poke you.
That’s what gives you the chance to get stronger. Living alone in a cave won’t do that for you.
Don’t take it personally.
Take it as a challenge.
Dov Gordon
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[Th.I.N.K.] Things I Now Knew:
Taking a closer look at wisdom I heard years ago, and set it aside because “I know that already.”
Years later, I’m beginning to actually understand them.
Hence, “Things I Now Knew.”
