Things I know: State of Mind

Things I know: State of Mind: Have you ever been misunderstood?  Has something you've done or said ever been taken the wrong way?  Have you ever been made aware that...

State of Mind

Have you ever been misunderstood?  Has something you've done or said ever been taken the wrong way?  Have you ever been made aware that you've taken something that someone else did or said the wrong way?  Well, I certainly have!  In fact, in this age of technology, it is easier then ever to misunderstand and be misunderstood through texts, posts and emails.  Yesterday, I was thinking about a time I responded to a friend's post on Facebook and another friend of hers responded to mine with venom and hate. Our mutual friend corrected the misinterpretation and all was well, but this made me think about our state of mind. I can't pretend to know this person's state of mind at the time of her response to me, but my experience leads me to believe that her response had much more to do with her state of mind than with the words I used.  In fact, I would venture to say that 100% of her response was due to the way my words sounded to her through the interpretation of her state of mind at the time.  

So, I wonder... how many times have I heard (or read) sarcasm that wasn't there?  How many times did I interpret body language in the wrong way?  Did I hear a tone of voice that was different than what I heard through my own state of mind?  And after my misinterpretation, how much bigger does the imagined slight become because of my own self talk...through that same state of mind?  So, what of this?  Do you think it might be possible to reduce the amount of anger, hurt feelings, dissatisfaction (and I don't even know how many other negativities) in our life if we just take a moment to stop and pay attention to our own state of mind?  We can't control the state of mind of those around us who are misunderstanding us, but what we  CAN do is realize that their reaction to what we say or do is through the eyes of their state of mind, and cut them some slack. Imagine if we all just took a moment to consider the state of mind from where the reaction is generated.  I, for one, will be much happier in my day to day dealings now that I will be taking that moment....  happy day, my friends!