“It’s important to express my ideas. It is also important to accept the outcome.”
— Courage to Change
These two little sentences have particular relevance to me. I love expressing my ideas, that’s not my problem. My challenge has been accepting others’ reaction to them. I’m a people pleaser who wants people to agree with me. When they disagree, the temptation is to enter into “persuasion mode”, where I attempt, with a vast array of manipulative tools, to get them to agree. Guess what I discovered? People don’t like it when I do that. So today, by working the program, I’m learning to surrender their reaction and be open to hearing their point of view. I’m still stubborn, but I’m doing a lot better these days, and grateful for that. It’s an amazing day to be alive and ILML! – James