Don't take it Personally...

Our dog Coco has taught me an important life lesson. Every day when I take her for a walk, we often encounter other dogs along the way. Regardless of their size, some are friendly and some just aren't. This doesn't seem to phase Coco in the least. To the friendly dogs, she will do her usual smell routine, but to those dogs who bark at her, she doesn't take it personally - she merely walks away and let's them be.  

It made me think about how us humans react when someone is not friendly to us, or who treats us with contempt.  Somehow, we personalise it, believing there must be something wrong with us, when in fact that is not the case.  Some people are just naturally mean.  The truth is that people can only respond to what they have inside of them. Unfriendly people cannot by nature be friendly.  We need to accept that the problem lies with them, and not us.

The best way to treat unfriendly people is to smile and greet them regardless of whether they respond or not.  It's a great sign of maturity to not take offence when people don't respond to your friendliness.  The saying 'hurting people hurt people' should make us more empathetic towards those who are rude, mean or unfriendly. Rather than to treat them like they treat us, we should learn to turn the other cheek, remain calm and choose to walk away. 

The trick is not to allow other people's bad moods to affect us - we need to be like teflon and let it slide off us and not be like velcro that lets it stick to us, souring our own good, friendly mood.  Remaining friendly when others aren't is the best way to live...