Develop Clear Boundaries

Don’t take other people’s bad habits, bad manners, or rudeness personally. Their actions are about that person, not you. Stay clear of other people’s issues and confusion. It’s difficult enough trying to deal with our own. Develop clear boundaries. Don’t become tainted by other people’s issues. And don’t let your ego look for reasons to feel offended.

People love stories. We spend our hard-earned dollars on books and movies because we enjoy the narrative elements. But don’t let your mind develop a simi- lar narrative and backstory every time you feel offended. Most offenses begin and end with the simple fact that we ran into someone in a bad mood and they in- sulted us somehow. The story is about them and their bad mood and has nothing to do with us. Our egos love encouraging us to feel offended. Maybe it makes us feel important. If no one has been rude to us in the current day, our ego will scan the past for real or imagined slights. How about this? How about that? Don’t you remember when this person made plans without you? Why are you being nice to them when they offended you last month? We can never be sure of another per- son’s motivations, can we? It’s challenging enough trying to decipher our own. Let other people deal with their issues while we focus on finding peace.