If somebody says something about you that you know in your heart is not true, you would probably just laugh and not be bothered by it. But what if somebody says something about you that may actually be true? Such as mentioning that you are a lazy, or messy? Do you get mad? Do you get offended? Or do you simply smile and forget about it?

It’s interesting when someone says something outrageous about you, like you live in a zoo, it won’t bother you. This is because you know 100% that it isn’t true. This is ideally how you should react when someone mentions anything negative about you. Yet, many times if someone says you are good for nothing, a bum, etc. you immediately get offended and react defensively.  The moment these statements affect you is when you begin to believe in them – you begin to believe deep inside that you are these negative things.

There are usually two things that happen when people say bad things about you:

1.                You don’t mind because you know they are not true, or

2.                You get depressed and offended because a part of you believes those bad remarks

When your self-confidence falters, and you begin to believe what other people say about you, they begin to have control over you. You actually turn into a puppet who is controlled by the thoughts and views of what other people believe and say. In reality, you have the choice to not allow such things to affect you.

When you believe what other people say about you, and are bothered – that’s your choice. When you are confident, because you know who you are; there’s nothing that can change how you feel about yourself and how you react to others who may have unfavorable opinions about you.

Time to share your experiences:

• When was the last time you were affected by bad remarks from somebody?
• How would you handle it differently if it were to happen again?