Take It the RIGHT Way!

Have you ever taken something someone said to you the wrong way?  Maybe it was a text or email...maybe you misinterpretated an expression or a look someone gave you. No matter what it was...what was your reaction?  Chances are, it had a negative impact on your mood. I was thinking about this the other day because a friend of mine was talking to me about a conversation we both participated in with a third person and my friend's interpretation of that conversation was completely different than mine. I think back to times when I was hurt or upset by something someone said to me only to find out later that I was totally wrong about what that person was saying...I took what was said the wrong way.  The truth is, it doesn't really matter what the person's intent is...if we take it the wrong way, or even the right way...if we perceive that what is being said is negative, our mood will be impacted in a negative way. Simple as that. 

So, what is the impact?  Well, for me, it can ruin my day...not only that, it often affects the way I feel about that person!  Have you ever spent the day being angry over something your partner said to you in the morning only to find out at the end of the day that you were completely wrong about what was said in the first place?  How easy is it to let that anger go even after finding out the anger was unwarranted?  I bet not very easy...our anger has built momentum and we find ourselves angry (or sad, hurt, or whatever the feeling is) even after the cause of that feeling is removed from the equation. 

So, what if we turned that around?  What if we chose to take it the RIGHT way?  As we know, the impact on our mood and our feelings is based on our interpretation and has nothing to do with the other person's intent...so why not assume the meaning was a positive one?  Now, I know that is not always easy to control at the moment...but you know as well as I do that the real damage is done by our thoughts following the initial interpretation. So before your thoughts snowball, decide that the meaning was positive, complementary or said in jest. At the very least, you will have a much more pleasant day!  Choose to keep your mood and feelings out of that dark place...no harm can come of it!  Practice taking things the RIGHT way...you'll live a happier life for it.