Ever been hurt (or just pissed off)? Of course you have. So what do you do about that? These are four strategies I have been given by people I respect and love:
- The whole walk-a-mile-in-their-shoes thing. Research shows that most people are dwelling in a place of immediate pressure and need. Try to understand their “present.” Can you subtract Self in order to add to Other? Maybe you’re seeing the bigger picture, but maybe they are only seeing the here and now?
- They might need new glasses. Or maybe you do. Similar to number one, but critically different, ask yourself, “Can I find a way to see it from their perspective, or to understand the pressures they are experiencing?” YES, the opposite is likely possible and true (i.e. “Can’t they see MY point of view?”). So who is going to step up? Them? You? Or is this the end of something you once cherished—simply because you couldn’t put on new glasses?
- The whole mountain-out-of-a-molehill thing. We too often obsess about that which doesn’t really matter. Period.
- Forgive. It is likely that they are just plain wrong. So what? And what does that mean? The choice is yours. Resent? Or?
Perhaps the most beautiful part of this human experience is the opportunity not to get caught-up in the trivial, but to rise-up to the meaningful.
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