Are you wondering how you can not take things personally? Sometimes even during casual interactions or situations, we might feel it’s all about us and worry about it. But in the end, it might not be at all about us, lol.

Shall I share one of such incidents with you?

Story of a Friend | People Bully Introverts

One day, one of my friends is also an introvert, told me that people bully introverts. I asked him what made him think that way. Then he said that he shared a plan to start affiliate marketing with his friends. Then one of them yelled at him, “you want to grab attention, so you are doing all this.”

My friend said that if he weren’t an introvert, the other guy wouldn’t have spoken that way. However, it has nothing to do with introverts, and such people envy others who say big stuff.

All of this happened as my friend thought it was all about him.

Let me share few more incidents and why it happens in the next section.

Why We Take Things Personally

You were doing something, and suddenly you looked at your friends who were talking. They laugh the moment you see them. What would you do? If I were you, I would ask them what happened. However, most of the time, it won’t be about me.

Also, sometimes, purposely, I do that and turn to another side as if we are hiding something when a similar thing happens. It is to make the other person anxious about what we were doing.

And whenever I speak, if someone looks at their mobile, I feel offended. It was the stuff in the past.

It happens when you are not getting attention. Why would that happen? It is due to ego. Your ego always wants to be right in all situations. Because of that, you feel anxious and worry when such things happen.

What I Learnt When Working as a Fundraiser

I worked for a non-profit organisation as a fundraiser for them. One day a happy lady supported the cause. She mentioned that she supported the cause only because of me.

Also, I encountered some people who used to be rude when we were around. In the initial days, I used to feel bad about it. Later I realised that they are behaving that way because of their previous experiences. They might have encountered someone who did wrong, and because of that, they become rude.

From this, I understood that it is not always about me. From then, on encountering such things, I stopped reacting. It helped me stay happy.

So the lesson I learnt is, “It is not about you.“

If you are a critical thinker, you might ask me, “what if it is about me?”

How Not to Take Things Personally Even If It is About You

Let’s consider the scenario where the other person looks at the mobile when you are in the meeting. I will share one of the recent incidents that happened.

One person was so enthusiastic when we connected over the call. However, after 5 min, he was not paying much attention, and I continued with the rest. I didn’t know how to respond. Later I learnt that he was not happy with certain things I spoke. — Because of which reacted that way.

If it is about you, You can start being empathetic towards the other person. It helps you to focus on improvement. In that way, you can be happy and won’t take things personally.

Final Thoughts

If someone feels good about you or maybe some positive stuff, it is because of you. However, any bad situation or outcome is not always because of you. A lot of factors come into the picture.

What do you say?