| Dear John, Sometimes we gain wisdom from the most unexpected places. Last week I had my buttons pushed when I stumbled upon an exchange on Facebook about my work. Two women were discussing the release of my new audio program, “Self Care for the Wisdom Years,” and they made a few assumptions about me that were incorrect. And they weren’t very kind about it. Normally I brush those things off. I’ve been at this a long time and I know better than to take things personally. But, I’m human, and having birthed a new baby I naturally felt more vulnerable and in that state it was easy to overreact. After reading their comments, I felt compelled to reply and correct their mistakes (compelled being the operative word here). Fortunately, because I was upset, I knew better than to do so. Instead, I walked away from the computer, made myself some lunch, and turned on an episode of Madam Secretary – a favorite TV series. About halfway into the episode, the character who plays the Secretary’s Communication Director was anxiously trying to get the Secretary to respond to a reporter who was maligning her work. “No,” said the Secretary repeatedly. “I’m not going to address it.” When pushed further, she exclaimed firmly: “I am not going to respond. If you feed the beast, it just gets hungrier.” Upon hearing her words, I felt the muscles in my body relax. Well there you have it, I thought to myself. The perfect intervention. No need to add fuel to the fire. I smiled, thanked the Secretary, shut off the TV, and finished eating my lunch. Then, I went to my journal and wrote the following: Misunderstandings
Judgments
Opinions
Frustration
Fear DON’T FEED THE BEAST. Wise advice to remember. When you choose self-regulation over drama you’re no longer at the mercy of the outer world. Instead, you have your own back. And that’s self-love in action. Love,
Cheryl P.S. – My new audiobook, Self Care for the Wisdom Years is now available on both Audible and the SoundsTrue.com website. It’s exclusively available in audio format only. They’ll be more on this soon, but if you’d like to listen, you can do so here. Need a little Divine Direction? Use the “Touch of Grace” button at the bottom of our homepage here. | 