How do you react when others speak unkindly about you?

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“How do you react when others speak unkindly about you?” she asked.

She paused thoughtfully for a second before replying.

“I think to myself,
if their words are intended to be hurtful,
then they must be hurting on the inside in some way,
for those who are truly happy and successful,
uplift and elevate the energy of everyone they encounter,
and it is only those who are insecure or unhappy with their lives in some way
that attempt to bring others down
and spend their time criticizing and belittling others
to distract from themselves and their own lives.
And nothing that they say
is truly about the other person
but is a projection of their own pain and limiting beliefs.

And in that moment,
I think to myself,
if they are feeling this low about themselves,
such that they have to speak negatively about others,
then they must be in need of extra love
and so I send them my love energetically
through positive intention,
thinking, “I wish you peace and happiness,”
and then continue on happily with my day,
not allowing their words to impact me
in any way.
For their opinions have nothing to do with me,
as my life is my own to live.

And I do not allow them to distract me from all that I wish to do, love, be, and create in the world,
for life is too short and precious
to be wasted
focusing on anything other than that.”

Words by Tahlia Hunter

Artwork by Catrin Welz-Stein

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Text and image source: Tahlia Hunter https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02eJpdgMiktPjF5JzBQe2cB5b2hj7SeQ1caxJuuiujLqiGPDamkU9p4HqdmgaiJmiFl&id=100044195216258&mibextid=Nif5oz