Once upon a less-worrisome time, I knew a girl who believed the world revolved around her. I was actually very good friends with her and we spent a lot of great moments together. Eventually though, she and I parted ways after we had an argument or two (which was centered on her holier-than-thou attitude). I thought I detested her, but when I look back at those times, I realize I have to thank her for something she taught me.
USING THE PLUS SIGN IN MAKING CLASS NOTES.
That’s right. She would use the sign in her notes. I was going through her class-notes once and caught the sign somewhere in there. Marvelously convenient, it began to change the way I took notes as well. Soon enough, it became an integral part of my writing. To this day, 8 years later, I still use the plus-sign when I’m jotting things down in a hurry.
And each time I mark that little cross, I send out a little thank-you to her.
Because despite all the resentment and the quarrels, and despite her megalomaniac behavior, I cannot hate somebody who has made life a little bit easier for me.
All of us cherish harsh Memories about some person in our lives. Soon enough, the memories translate into feelings of hatred and malice towards that person. Here’s the twist: these feelings will do you more harm than the person you are directing them towards.
A loudmouth gossip? Think about how they’re teaching you to be quieter about things.
An over-efficient headache of a person? Think about how important it is to relax at times and take things easy.
A mean, insensitive jerk? Think about the effects your words have on people’s feelings.
There is always something to learn from each person we interact with. It could be something incredibly small (a plus-sign, maybe), or it could be life-changing. You will always find some good, and it is your duty to take the good and leave the bad.
Even if you think there couldn’t possibly be anything to compliment in a person, you may have to dig deeper: to get to the gold, you have to be bold. It takes incredible maturity and a lot of patience, but with serious dedication, you will find it next to Impossible to hate anyone. It won’t matter what they’ve done; you’ll be able to make rainbows in that rain.
Avoid wasting your energy on being resentful of people around you. Take inspiration from those who are better than you in any way, and take lessons from those who hurt you.
