No one can make you upset without your consent...
“People are disturbed not by things that happen but by their opinion of things that happen.”- Author Known
It is our opinions of things and not the things themselves that cause the disturbances of our lives. What a great source of liberation to know that no one can upset us, that nothing out there can make us feel miserable, that we can control how we feel by how we decide to process things, events, and other people, and their opinions.[googmonify]4494413162:right:250:250[/googmonify]
Let’s say you’re upset by something someone had said or done. What if I asked you, “Suppose you didn’t know what they had said about you, would you still be upset?” You would probably respond with something like, “Of course not. How could I be upset about something, if I didn’t know about it?” I would gently say to you, “So it wasn’t what they said or did. That happened and you weren’t upset at all, until you learned of it, and then you decided to react by being disturbed. So, I would like you to realize and be aware that no one can make you upset without your consent.
Here is a suggestion to help you implement this awareness into your daily life. Let go of any inclination you have to blame external circumstances for your unhappiness. When you feel disturbed ask yourself, “How can I change my opinion of these things to remove my discomfort?” Then work at it until the blame is gone.
All the best,
Sam Sadat
