Let’s pretend that we’re all authors writing stories based off of our own lives.

Every day we write a new page, which turns into a new chapter, and then eventually a new book. These stories depict the way we see the world, ourselves, and the people living in it. As you can imagine, no one writes the same story. Even if we happen to be part of the same chapter in each other’s lives, there’s a chance that we will write that chapter a bit differently and THAT’S OK. We’re not meant to write the same stories or perceive life the same way. We’re not suppose to agree with everything we hear. The fact of the matter is that there’s not a single right way to view the world.

What’s true for you doesn’t have to be true for me. Remember that.

As a good friend once told me, being different is indifferent. It simply is what it is. We’re meant to be unapologetically ourselves and respect each other's differences. There is no need to be offended when someone disagrees with our story, to feel as though our stories aren’t good enough, or to feel as though we must compete to see who’s story is better. The only story we should be trying to improve is our own.

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel as though many of us are so quick to judge someone else before looking at ourselves. We’re ready to correct someone else’s actions before correcting our own. Yet who are we to judge? Who are we to say that our way is the right way? I mean, I can’t be the only one who’s tired of opinions being forced down our throats; to feel as though someone is trying to change us rather than understand us.

However, let me be clear. Having an opinion is not the problem. It’s the way it’s served that becomes distasteful. I guess it all comes down to the intentions behind the opinion. Are we simply sharing our thoughts or are we trying to change how a person thinks? Are we trying to get others to think exactly as we do? If that’s the case then I believe we’ve lost respect for one another.

To allow for someone to be authentically themselves is to respect that they are different. We can respectfully agree to disagree. In doing so, we can practice the art of not taking things personally. My favorite author, Don Miguel Ruiz, said it best.

“Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering" ("The Four Agreements").

We’re all different and I’d like to think that our individuality is what make the world go round. So, if you see me differently than I see myself, I’m okay with that because it doesn’t change my story. It changes yours.

Good vibes & happy lives,

RaeSmiles