The Golden Rule

pattybloggoldenruleDo you care what others think about you?  Even the most confident person will probably say, “Yes.”  We live in a world where we measure ourselves against images of perfection from the media and the opinions of those around us, but guess what? Opinions are subjective and always changing, so trying to determine who you are based on the views of others is like trying to stand up straight on shifting sand.  

My young granddaughter recently showed me a “fun game” she posted on her Instagram account. The game entailed selecting four friends and asking her followers to eliminate them by popularity.  I was appalled at the insensitivity and immediately explained to her how this was essentially a form of online bullying. I told her, “Do you know how hurt these people might feel that you put their pictures up online?” She didn’t understand at first, but it was an important lesson that many people do not learn early enough in their lives. There’s been an admirable campaign against bullying taking place over the past few years, and I hope it continues to shed light on this form of negativity. I do believe that “bullying” continues into our adult lives – it just masks itself in a different way. For example, it’s that person who wants you to fail at work, spends all day gossiping or tries to tear you down to feel better about themselves.

It’s not easy to stand tall in a world full of negativity and “haters,” but surrounding yourself with positive people is a great first step. I’m also a big believer in positive affirmations and we will be kicking off an affirmation campaign on my Facebook page soon, so please check back to take an easy first step toward feeling good about you.

Your view of yourself is absolutely vital to your long-term happiness and success in life.  Often times this view is distorted because we tend to focus on the negatives instead of the positives, not just when it comes to circumstances, but also who we think we are. This video from Dove perfectly sums up a form of “self-bullying” of which many of us are guilty on a daily basis.

Everyone wakes up with a choice to be positive or negative, and you will attract more of whatever you choose.  If you see the world through a negative lens, you will attract more negativity, and probably take that negativity out on others.  However, if you regularly count your blessings and choose to ignore those people who want to drag you down, watch how far you will soar. This isn’t an opinion, it’s a fact. I faced this in my own life time and time again, and still do with my business today.  There are always naysayers that want to judge me or tell me I’m not good enough.  I remember one year I won a very prestigious award, and as I walked into the event on cloud nine, a gentleman walked up and made a snide remark in an attempt to burst my bubble; I won’t lie, it hurt at first, but I made a decision to not let it affect my night or my belief in my company’s mission and the lives we are touching every day.

We all have so many obstacles to face in life – do you want to be the kind of person who adds more stress to others’ lives or the person who helps to lift the burden we all share?  Today I challenge you to do one nice thing for someone around you, whether it’s complimenting their appearance, or simply letting someone over during traffic. A recent story on random acts of kindness that perfectly exemplifies this was published just this week about a man who let a stranger fall asleep on his shoulder on a subway train. You will be amazed how such small thoughtful actions can catch on like wildfire and spread positivity, not just in your life, but in the life of others. Please share your stories in our comments section on what you’ve seen in your life these past few weeks that has helped restore your faith in humanity, and the age-old Golden Rule to treat others as you would like to be treated.

 

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One Comment

  1. Melissa Messenger

    Love this article Patty! I challenged some girls to make eye contact and SMILE to all they came in contact with! Lots of wonderful feed back on how a simple smile can brighten someones day! I hope you have a great day! 🙂

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