...thoughts expressed here are not necessarily final.
September 06, 2004 I overwrote and Lost this whole Blog week- Here's all that survived...
I don't usualluy quote PT but this was pretty ggo advice for anybody.
"Here's an important rule for life: It's not all
about you. To develop a thick skin you must first remember that you are
not the center of the universe. Yes, sorry to say, you are not the fixed
point around which the universe turns.
You will need to learn a few skills and think outside yourself.
Here are a few tips to developing a thick skin:
* Don't take things personally: Sometimes you may need to reframe a person's
bad behavior by remembering that it's not about you.
* Don't let others get to you: Refuse to get overly responsive to the
negative feelings and provocations of others. Adopt strategies that regulate
emotional arousal; otherwise negativity hijacks the thinking brain. Try
simple deep breathing or declare time out.
* Remember that everyone gets rejected sometimes. Pick yourself up, dust
yourself off and move on. Don't be discouraged if it takes a few times
to get it right. Successful people are rejected over and over, but never
stop trying.
* When you're rejected or something doesn't go your way, counter-propose
a new solution. Often, the person declining your offer is not rejecting
you. He may even want to hear another idea. Successful individuals come
back from rejection with new proposals. They're creative at coming up
with additional ways of looking at things and solving problems.
… Don't hesitate to unstick sticky situations. If you're discussing an
issue and the conversation is going off track, stop it and restart it
on the right track. You could say: "This isn't going productively.
Let's reshoot this scene from the beginning." Or, "Can we take
it from the top?" --- more >>
Don’t be self-focused. If you do focus on yourself, you’ll likely
dwell on your shortcomings. Instead, think about your goals and what steps
you need to get there.
* Stop the self-talk: Counter self-defeating self-talk with truth-talk:
"You can be your own worst enemy, so give yourself a break."
* Don’t worry about looking stupid. If you are asked a question and
you don’t know the answer, you can simply say, "I need to think
about that and get back to you later."
* Learn to be patient: Don’t be impulsive or react to a situation
without giving yourself time to cool off.
* Don’t be quick to blame: Recognize that other people have their
ups and downs.
* Think about others: Enter social interactions with this thought of making
the experience itself enjoyable. Ask yourself, "What can I do to
make you feel more comfortable?""
Lybi Ma is Executive Editor of Psychology Today.
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Someone sent this to me and I do not know the origin. Pretty cutesy. eh? |