The World Revolves Around ME!

I've been reflecting and thinking a lot lately about how internally focussed we are as human beings. Some crazy thoughts I've had in my life include - everyone is out to get me, I am not good enough to be close friends with xyz, I don't know enough, why do people always do this to me.....

This morning I'd dropped my daughter out to my mum's for the day so I can concentrate on finishing my assessments for my upcoming course deadline (yes, I am doing a great job and procrastination has crept in today :) Anyhow, I was driving back into town and was on a stretch of road that was double lanes with a few bends. Out of the blue, a car pulled out from behind me and overtook me. My instant reaction was "What an idiot! Who overtakes on double lines on a bend?"

That was old unresourceful me making it all about me!  I then chose to look at it from a different perspective... what if the person driving the car was late for work or was on their way to see someone who'd just been taken to hospital. My reaction immediately changed, the tension I'd been feeling softened and I started to feel compassion and love. A very conscious choice.

A couple of points I would like to make here... 99.9% of the time, other people are NOT  out "to get" us. They are more wrapped up in the vestibule of their own little world and don't often give you a second thought. So get over it and yourself.  And secondly, we can choose how to react/respond to any situation at any given time. We choose our emotions and our responses, they don't choose us. Just saying ......