Your personal fight against taking things personally
23-11-2020
Most of our thoughts during the day are negative. Just a handful of the more than 50.000 things our brain comes up with daily are in fact positive thoughts. Even though the exact number is still debated, it is eye-opening that we have so little positivity inside of us.
It’s no wonder that we find it hard not to take things personally that are happening daily. Especially things that are caused by our interactions with others. In this TEDx talk from 2019, public speaker Frederik Imbo explains his strategy to deal with this anxiety. It consists of 2 parts. First, you have to be able to put yourself in someone else’s position. Why is he criticizing me? Why is she not paying attention? All these questions are not about you. By making the situation about us, you consider the other person’s intention. The second strategy is the opposite. Maybe it is about you. But without taking away your own value, you might want to give yourself some deserved empathy.
The conclusion I take from this simple but interesting strategy is that empathy will get you far. Without putting your own needs and struggles aside, you need to put yourself in the shoes of the other person. In today’s society where speaking our mind is a lot easier than it used to, we often tell the “me” story. Without knowingly doing so, we come over as egocentric, misinformed, and stupid. So before you participate in the discussion, remember that every personal issue matters. Even though they might seem negligible in your eyes.
#empathy #personalstrategy #personalsustainability #positivethoughts #positivity #tedtalk
