Sometimes what others are doing is unpleasant for you—you feel hurt or jealous or judgmental or annoyed or angry. Consider that everyone is here doing what they came here to do. Consider that if they are doing it near you, something in you attracted them into your vicinity and brought their actions to your awareness.

What if, instead of becoming upset or hurt or angry, you thought, “How interesting. What is my purpose in attracting this person or experience? Is there something for me to learn about myself, or is there something for me to give to them, or is there something for me to receive?” Pay special attention if you are feeling a very strong emotion, or if the emotion hangs around for awhile.

Something to learn: Is the person reflecting back to you something that you are currently not seeing about yourself? For example, if your spouse is complaining about you traveling too much to classes and networking groups, he may be reflecting back your own fear that you are spending too much time away from home doing things that are primarily for you. Once you take responsibility for the fear, you can do something about it by changing your own thoughts.

Giving and receiving: If an annoying person is on your left, which is your receiving side, consider what you could receive from them. Perhaps you can receive the knowing that you can remain pleasant or at peace, or that you can focus your mind on the God-light they are regardless of how they are behaving. If a person elicits a strong emotion from you and is on your right, which is your giving side, consider what you can give them. Perhaps you can give them a silent message, “I love you and I honor who you are.”

This week, if someone pushes your buttons, especially in a negative way, try this response and see if it makes a difference in how you feel, and even in how the other person reacts to you.