After growing up in chaos, dysfunction, and fear, there were many days that I didn’t know what I needed to be at peace. I felt anxiety, worry, and fear. I spent too much time focusing on what other said and did, but didn’t take the time to care for myself.
What I’ve learned over the years is that I spent too much time worrying about what others said and did, but didn’t have the self-esteem and self-confidence to be at peace within myself.
I worried about whether a partner truly loved me, or my bills, or the stress and problems happening within my family.
But what mattered most is that I needed to find a way to take care of myself and feel confident that I would be fine no matter what those around me said and did. When I look back, I see how much time and energy I wasted in worrying about others and what they thought of me.
When I found inner peace, then I began to notice that the world around me started to become more peaceful as well.
Divorce, alcoholism, abandonment, addiction, and hurt do not need to rule you. What others do, how they treat you, does not need to run your life.
“No one can make you feel anything.”
I remember hearing that phrase for the first time and not understanding it.
But what I realized is that each of us chooses to be affected by the behaviors of others.
If someone is lashing out or taking their frustration out on you, you have choices: You can distance yourself from that person, choose not to be bothered by them, or tell them to stop.
You’re are not powerless.
When you realize that, your world will change.