Difficult people are the greatest of teachers.

Pema Chödrön

That guy is a jerk! He’s rude, selfish, doesn’t respect ANY boundaries, he’s just really mean! HE makes you mad, HE ruins your day/week/month/year! He makes you seriously contemplate how to get away with murder! Honestly, you’d be doing the world a favor!

Or maybe there is a different perspective? One harder to see, not just because your mind is clouded by all the negative emotions you are feeling about this other person, but also because it requires you to make a mental shift. Your life would be perfect right now if… this one person would stop being a jerk, or stop being in your life, or just die! OR your life would be perfect right now if you were just happy and content in spite of what’s going on outside of yourself! Which would you prefer?

The shift that is hard to see means taking responsibility for your own emotions. The shift requires you to remove the blame from that outside force, in this case, that jerk over there, and put the blame right on our own shoulders! From there, you get to decide how you feel and ask yourself why you are deciding to feel so crappy! The shift is taking back your control instead of giving it away! After all, it really is not his job to cater to your emotions!

Opening new pathways of positive growth and discovery!

So, now you have decided to take back control of your own emotions, to change your mindset and to find and stay in joy constantly, now what? You are really currently feeling deeply upset and, like a train at top speed, it’s going to be nearly impossible to slow this beast and turn it around!

Well, in my experience, you’re going to need a few tools. What those tools are will differ from person to person. It might mean aligning yourself with some high-vibing people so that you can lift our own vibes and match theirs. It might mean reading an inspirational book, or listening to something inspirational like a TED Talk, or a favorite podcast. It might mean writing in our journal, or looking at inspirational images. Try different things, make a list of what works and consider this your arsenal against the jerks of the world!

Now, about that jerk from earlier, you should really thank that guy! Offer him your deepest and most genuine gratitude for being such a raging @$$hole! That shift you made also means that the jerk has become your spiritual teacher! You can practice your new-found techniques and really hone in on what works and fine-tune their effectiveness! Your whole vibe will change and when the lesson is done, your new teacher will move on!

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Until next time…