Take nothing Personally! Don Miguel Ruiz wrote: "The Four Agreements". The second agreement after Be impeccable with your word is Take nothing personally. What does that mean?
We go through life encountering different people and situations. We encounter people who like us and some who don't. We watch events happen around the world and we get invested in the outcomes. We get invested in the opinions of others, what they think about us, the things they say to us and the things that they do that seem to affect us. We sometimes feel offended or get angry by what people say or do. This causes us to react in a negative way. Be not offended. Take nothing personally and you will be free.
Using the example of bullying. Many people are invested in the idea of overcoming bullying. "Bullies should be taught to treat people differently", "Bullies are mean", Bullies hurt others and sometimes people take their own lives because of being bullied". Most people, in my experience, would agree with those statements but what if they are not true? Is it not true that without someone to be bullied the bully would have no venue to vent their anger or hurt on? If the person chosen to be bullied simply took nothing personally, who would be left with the hurt and anger? When the negative energy being transferred from the bully to the "Intended victim" hits a wall of love what happens to that hurt and anger? It stays with the perpetrator where it belongs.
I understand this is easier said than done but the fact is there must be a part of us that agrees with the negative energy coming toward us in order for us to accept it. If we know we are loved, loving and know in our hearts we are good enough just the way we are, no one can harm us no matter how hard they try..
I like to use an analogy about hot rocks. Here it goes: If a person takes some rocks out of a hot fire and tries to give them to you what would you do? I believe you would not accept the hot rocks because you know you would be burned. If you reject the gift of hot rocks what happens to the person trying to give them to you? They get burned and learn to leave the rocks alone in the fire. They learn a lesson. It is the same with negative energy in the form of insults, bullying, speaking behind your back, rejecting you or something about you. If part of you agrees that there is something wrong with you you will be more likely to agree with the insult or rejection. If you love yourself completely and deeply you will simply disagree with the other person's opinion and go on about your day without feeling bad. The person who may be judging you and casting aspersions on you will end up holding his or her own negative energy and, perhaps, learn a lesson from it.
So, begin practicing loving yourself enough and take nothing personally. Teach your children to disagree with the good opinions of others and even to question your own opinions in a healthy open way. You and your children will notice a lightness come over your lives and that's what you came here to do. Pleae read "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz. A practical guide to personal freedom.