Your brain creates your reality. It is not what happens to you in life that determines how you feel; it is how your brain perceives reality that makes it so. Most people are unaware that they are controlled not by events or people but by the perception that their brains makes of them. . . .
Equation: A+B=C
A – actual event
B – how we interpret or perceive the event
C – how we react to the eventMost people think that (A) things in life, what happens to us, determine our behavior. In large part it is actually the (B) stuff. Other people or events, (A) cannot make us do anything. It is our brains’ interpretation or perception, (B) that causes our behavior (C).
Excerpt from Making a Good Brain Great By Daniel G. Amen, M.D.
Next time you are upset with someone, take a step back and look at how you are interpreting that person’s action. Rather than just accepting the first interpretation, look for other ways of interpreting the person’s behavior. Often you may be able to see that it isn’t personal. It’s when you take it personally that it really hurts. When you’re hurt it’s not easy to respond intelligently. By changing your perception, it may no longer be a big deal: you can easily let it go.