People are your mirrors and teachers
Open your eyes and look around, there is a lesson to be learned from everyone around you. Whether your interactions are positive or negative, if you pay attention, you will see that people are your mirrors and teachers. But what does this really mean and how can you apply it to your everyday life?
If you want to make permanent change, you need to take the time to learn from others. Start by thinking of every person, from your father, your kids to the lady at the checkout counter, as a mirror. This means that they mirror your beliefs, behaviors and ways of being back to you. If they are doing something you notice, you are probably doing it in some way too.
Whenever you notice something that annoys you, frustrates you, makes you angry or even makes you excited about another person, ask yourself where you do it in your own life. Although you may not like what you see, the other person is probably a mirror.
For example, suppose that your friend Marsha is a big gossip. Every time you hang out, she complains about others and spreads news about everyone in town. This begins to annoy you more and more, especially as you realize that you hate her behavior. Eventually, you can’t take it and start to complain about her actions to others. But if you look closely, you will see that you are doing the same thing she is doing. By complaining about Marsha, you are mirroring her behaviors.
Although it may not feel good to look at this, if you take it as a learning experience, you’ll learn a lot about yourself and will be able to grow and change from it. Start paying attention to where you complain about others. Ask yourself what it is you are seeing? Where do you do a similar (or opposite!) behavior? It’s not always evident at first, and it may be subtle but if you keep looking you will uncover thoughts, beliefs and behaviors that may be holding you back in life. Change these and change your life!
(also published in the ebook “Living the 55 Concepts.” 55 Concepts Book and Audio available at LivingConcepts1.com)
