So here is the deal, I don't really believe so much that there are "enemies" out there per say. I mean, I know there are people who don't have our best interest in mind, and yes, I'm sure out of those, there are some who would even declare themselves your enemy. But, is that real? Could it be just a misunderstanding? Could it be our inability to leave emotions aside for a second and talk things out? img src

Old Wisdom

The quote I'm using for this particular post really speaks volumes. However, it probably should not surprise us that the one leader we remember as "The noble Abe" would have such though circling inside his mind. I think somehow, someway we all know this to be very true, as hard it might be to apply it.

Maybe the first step into this process has to do with one's control of our ego. Because at times, when we have these conversations, when we declare someone our "enemy" what's happening is that we allowed the other person's words or actions to cut deep into our sense of self.

The obvious questions we should probably be asking is: "Who am I? ... Is the insult really me? Am I upset because I believe it? Do I need to revise my own perception of me?" - To me the "trick" lies somewhere there; Allow me to explain it a little further.

Removing Power

This is the trick, or at least it's the trick in my mind. If I let someone's words dictate how I feel about myself, it is I who allowed it to be so. I will grant you this is not easy, not by a long shot, but we know it not to be impossible. Why? Because I'm sure that every single one of us can think of someone who has insulted us, who has belittled us, and yet we didn't care at all.

You have to ask... What was the difference? - Real simple. We did not give that individual's voice any weight in our heart. It was like someone burping 200 feet away from us. You can see it, maybe on day that is not that windy you can hear it, but it's not ruining your day in the least. In other words, Who cares?

Why can't we do this with other people? Why do we surrender power to others?

A few years ago, quite a few years back, I woke up to this realization. It was a time were I worked at a company that did not appreciate my efforts. The day I took back their power, I felt so much better, it's hard to describe it with just a short post. It's one of those things you have to live.

And... our enemies?

Yes, where are they? Who is your enemy? Who is mine? - I'm here to tell you that 99% of the time we see a doral fin poking out of the water it's a dolphin, not a shark. I've tested this myself, I really have. Even in this blog, I've had people attack me, I've had people call me rich a--hole, bad person and what have you. But, I chose to see the human behind those key strokes. I chose to see the person who probably misunderstood me and my intentions.

Granted, not every single time I've tried this maneuver it has worked. But, more often than not it has. And that is basically my little message here.