Notes To My Younger Self:

photo credit: HuffPost.com

When you do something that injures another, be sure to make amends as soon as possible. It can be easy, at times, to justify our hurtful behavior by taking inventory of what someone else has done to us in the past. A fruitless and ineffective attempt, by the way, to deflect responsibility from owning our missteps. Know that your mess ups are yours and other’s mistakes belong to them. Responding to a wrong with another wrong doesn’t clear the record, it only escalates the cycle of suffering, bitterness and resentment. Think about it: If lashing out at someone who has hurt you is the right course then why when the deed is done, do you feel inclined to take inventory on their actions in order to feel okay about yours?

When injured, do your best to resist the urge to fire back. Speak from your heart, say how you feel, without venom. Even if you’re hurt, frustrated, angry and undeserving of the action. Keep in mind that people who are hurting often times hurt other people. Ultimately, remember it’s your record that’s at stake; your heart, your peace, your inner balance. Precious gifts that, in my mind, aren’t worth risking.

E.L. Chappel author of Spirit Dance/Storm Makers/Coming very soon: The Surge

“Unkindness to anyone for any reason says more about us than it does about the other person.”~Naranon Blue Book

If you lose it at times, no worries. Apologize, set the record straight, change your behavior going forward— do whatever fits to make amends.

aka The Glamorous Wife

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