“Don’t take anything personally - Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.” - Don Miguel Ruix's Code For Life.
When you're standing in front of a work of art, and the person beside you says “That is the worst thing I have ever seen,” it is not fair of them. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Different people see, think and believe different things. What you think, and what you do, is your own. It is your power as a person, to see beyond what others think, and to count on your own judgment and instincts before those of others. They are not necessarily wrong, and they are not necessarily right, but they are your own, and you owe it to your conscious to listen to yourself before others.
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” - Eleanor Roosevelt.
People have only as much power over you as you let them. Respecting the opinions of others, and letting them control you entirely, are completely different acts. No one has the right to control another's emotions. No one has the right to control another person. Obey your superiors; respect the opinions of the wiser; but choose for yourself whom you truly believe to be your superior, the wiser. Allow yourself to hear your own voice before you hear the voices of others. This, in the end, is the voice you have to listen to at night.
“The basis of shame is not some personal mistake of ours, but that this humiliation is seen by everyone.” - Milan Kundera.
The strongest families are not necessarily bound by blood, but by trust. Gather around you those you trust, and no one can hurt you. Immeasurable love is the greatest shield to the barbs of the insecure, those who do not have this luxury. Confide yourself to those who would never repeat it, except to ease your suffering. Open yourself to those who can heal you. Close yourself to those who have hurt you.
I believe that people are only truly strong when they admit they are weak. I believe that blaming others is a coward's escape. My beliefs won't change the world. My hopes won't affect the universe. If I had the answers, I would not be the victim or subject of needless suffering. If I believed in myself more than others, I would not be inferior. If I surrounded myself only with unconditional love, I would not be ashamed. These are my resolutions. Not to change the whole world, but just to change my own.
