This might be why you feel so bad

How about a little perspective?

When I take things personally, it helps me to keep in mind that: It matters less what happens and more how I think about what happens.

What happens come and goes, but the thinking….well, we are stuck with that. And it could, and often does become a prison long after the “what happened” is over.

Some people call it “stinkin’ thinkin’.”

I’ve heard it called the “itty bitty sheetty committee.”

Recently I heard Arianna Huffington call it the “Abnoxious Roommate.”

We all have that voice in our head. The voice of self judgment and blame.

The voice uses our past like a broken record, as “evidence” that we are crap at life.

A young women was recently telling me about a time when she was severely bullied.

“After a while, I did their work for them and demeaned myself in my head.”

After the “what happened” is over, we carry it on in our head, creating elaborate stories of our incompetence, shame, and unworthiness.

Time to stop.

What if we saw things from a new perspective? What if we knew every story–every event–can be seen from many different angles? (Not just the shame angle.)

People don’t treat you bad because they don’t like you (or you did something wrong), they treat you bad because they don’t like themselves.

Watch today’s video and see what I mean.

This might be why you feel bad

[clickToTweet tweet=”This might be why you feel bad @JodiAman https://jodiaman.com/blog/perspective-changes-everything/ #healing” quote=”This might be why you feel bad. “]

Loads of things happen to us. Sometimes good things, some neutral, some awful things, and some just small annoyances. When we see it from ourself at the center perspective, we take it all personally. However, when we see that all other people are human and fragile and have limits, worries, and make mistakes, and act from their ego, we can have a different understanding of life in general. That Annoying Roommate won’t have its evidence to use against us.

**If you have been oppressed or abused, this can be confusing so I want to clarify. The new perspective isn’t that  you misunderstood, or that it didn’t happen. You do understand and it did happen.

The new perspective is that: something is not wrong with YOU. 

Remember: People aren’t mean to you because they do not like you. They are mean to you because they don’t like themselves.

(And it is because of the annoying roommate that you notice it.) 

Has this happened to you? Have you ever seen things one way, and later found out it was a whole other scenario that you had originally thought? Tell me what happened!

27 thoughts on “This might be why you feel so bad”

  1. Charlotte Barnard

    Work it girl! It is as helpful as the blind men describing the elephant with the advantage that the circle maker is INVOLVED and often SURPRISED. . . glad to see it moving around. . . another good one for you: “Row, row your boat,” (HOW? ) “GENTLY” ( WHICH WAY?) “DOWN the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but” (WHAT?) ” A dream. . .”

  2. Hi Jodi,

    I agree with you there, we do tend to take things personally and think it’s the other view of a certain thing that is making us unhappy about it all, whereas it’s their thought process and the way they think about us, so it shouldn’t bother us, but it does. Changing our perspective and way of thinking is what we have to do.

    Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂

  3. That circle ‘trick’ is interesting. I couldn’t figure that out. I noticed too, when you’re circling above your head the circle is smaller then at your chest level it’s way bigger. Seems fitting like things seem bigger at our heart level. One way I decipher the obnoxious roommate from reality is to list the ‘facts’ of a situation. The facts don’t have emotion and they tell a story. Thanks, Jodi. Once again, great advice and I love your video series!!
    lisa thomson-The Great Escape… recently posted..Tattoo You?My Profile

  4. Good reminder. But I do think folk should call back at some point. Not that I do, ’cause right now, I just don’t feel like talking to that woman I told I’d call back but that’s kinda her fault that I don’t wanna call. What you think about that, Jodi? Hey, you should have an Ask Jodi day.
    totsymae1011 recently posted..International Church of Bey(once)My Profile

  5. Thanks Jodi!!
    Interestng program as always!!
    I remember a time when I made a date to do something but the other person was supposed to text me to confirm it – I missed he text and I felt sooo bad – I stressed about it – I felt terrible!! As it turned out it was no big deal for the other person and we rescheduled – actually the other time we got together – it was better!! Obviously I needed to relax and take the other person’s perspective!! 🙂

  6. Hi Jodi

    Yes, perspective defines us! I have never taken things personally but I had a colleague, who claimed to be a friend but would always, ALWAYS involve herself and take offence over a casual or random remark about work or life! My God! she had such a one track mind…she would always think she is being referred to…sometimes we thought she is going insane!!

    Obviously such people get disliked and are shunned. Sometimes I pitied her but I learnt a lot from her outbursts: perspectives need to change according to the situations, circumstances and the kind of people around us! Prudent are those who learn that outlook and opinions have to be flexible.

    Thanks for another awesome video message!
    Balroop Singh recently posted..Hope Is Alive!My Profile

  7. Your videos are really great, Jodi! I’m so impressed that you’ve mastered the medium.

    This post/video/message was so timely. A person with whom I’d had an exchange more than two years ago that left a bad taste in my mouth just happened to pop up on my radar again today. And I still tasted that bad taste! And I pinned it all on myself, of course. Then I saw this, and I have just reframed the exchange, and am now giving myself some credit for being brave enough to speak my truth, when others weren’t speaking their truths to this person. So, there you go. Thank you. 🙂
    Laura Zera recently posted..Mental Health Treatment and Mass ShootingsMy Profile

  8. I love your videos!
    I used to take everything personally, and looking at the story from a different perspective is very helpful, and I practice it.
    There is only one thing that helps me better than trying to look at it differently and it’s to directly ask myself this question
    What is the other’s person intention in doing this or that?
    Answering this question helps me all the time.

  9. Kathy @ SMART Living 365.com

    Hi Jodi! You KNOW that I completely agree with this because I write about it all the time on my blog! 🙂 It is so important to remember it is our perspective, our story, that keeps us stuck in a negative feedback loop. I’ve also learned that even our striving for perfection and “trying to look good” is such a trap that keeps us from living our dreams. Thanks for all the great work you are doing in spreading the message around the world. ~Kathy

  10. Hi Jodi
    Totally agree with you.
    I had got a famous quote regarding this.
    You go into the disease as one person and come out of it as a different person. It has changed my perspective on everything. Things that used to upset me no longer do.

  11. Love this! I have recently been thinking about this myself. Ok, this didn’t happen to me, but my husband. He got fired from a job he hated. He felt bad about it. But, he decided to figure out what he REALLY liked doing instead. He went back to school for a completely different field. Today, he LOVES his job! Goes to work singing every day. So, was getting fired a good or bad thing?

  12. I really enjoy your article and agreed with all the points. The person who can stop you to achieve the goal is only you. Sometimes we are influenced by master minds, they actually divert our mind from right ways. Our perspective is our major tool to get the lead, it’s has impact on your journey of achieving goal ,so keep changing your perspective in positive direction.

      1. Ya it is…And keep updating us with such nice article and i always like conversion on such interesting articles..

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