Though I don't believe it was intentional, the person I was speaking with told me I CANNOT achieve all of my goals. He said, "Just don't get your hopes up because achieving your goals is just not possible." This was told to me when I simply said that I have a lot of goals that I want to accomplish. I didn't even SPECIFY what any of my goals were, so how could this person tell me that my goals aren't achievable? I replied by saying that I would continue to try and I am also allowed to adjust and change my goals as I go through life. That opened another door for more negative comments to walk through. While listening, I decided to think back to something I read earlier in the day from a friend:
The Buddah.
A man
throws insults at him, but Buddah continues to smile. The man says, Why do you
smile? I just assaulted you with insults.
Buddha: I do not accept
your insults.
Man: What does that
mean?
Buddah: If you were to
give me $100 and I did not accept it, the $100 would still be yours, not mine.
The same is true of your insults. I do not accept them, so they are still
yours.
Though he wasn't trying to insult me, I was in fact a little insulted at first. I felt insulted because that's what I'm used to. I'm used to getting negative feedback and reacting negatively to it. BUT, I am working on changing my reactions, and improving on being positive. I chose to leave this negativity with him, and by not accepting it, it can do me no harm. It can continue to harm him and he can choose to live that way if he chooses.
I really felt great when that conversation ended. I learned a new and simple method of refusing to accept negativity, and leaving it with its originator.
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