“It is one of the commonest of mistakes to consider that the limit of our power of perception is also the limit of all there is to perceive.”
―  C.W. Leadbeater

Don’t you think that some people seem very susceptible to anything and everything? Even if you say something neutral or positive, they might take it the wrong way and think that you said it to hurt them or to make a negative statement about them, which would not be the case or your intention at all.

We all feel that way sometimes though, except the ones who have really thick skin. Nothing can touch them, and they laugh and shrug about anything (I would love to be that way… I believe that kind of people are the ones to outlive all). But we need to remember that what we experience is made of our perceptions, the reflection that we get from the happenings around us. And it is no one else but our concern to absorb them in a more positive or negative way.

Taking everything personally would not do us any favor. We need to be selective in our perceptions and on how we receive the comments and actions made towards us. We need to take a step back and think first before reacting, take ten long breaths or even better sleep on it, then come back the next day with a more open state of mind and a more objective angle of view to deal with what we have in hand.

We can all look at the same view and see totally different things, details, colors because we all have a different perception. Therefore; we cannot expect others to see things exactly like we see them and vice versa. Maybe listening to each other more carefully and trying to understand what is said, rather than what we think is meant might be a good starting point. What do you think?

“If you can change your perception, you can change your emotion and this can lead to new ideas.”     
―  Edward de Bono