Mean People Suck!! or do they...

 I think there’s already too much negativity going around.
     How do we not become a sponge that soaks up poison people project on us?  How can we still be happy when those around us are so obviously not? It is so much easier not to feel victimized and stay stuck in ruminating about the bad when we acknowledge those times that we, too, have dished out unwarranted foul dispositions towards others at one time or another. In fact, beware as you may be the only light of God or goodness that someone meets!
    First we must become aware of our own thoughts, behaviors, feelings and moods at any given moment and take full responsibility for them. This means removing from the realm of possibility even the notion of complaining or blaming others for our own current state of feeling.
     Learning to let go of that negative energy once the situation has passed is crucial. Too often we  replay the hurt in our minds obsessively, letting it stew and fester. Before we know it, we too are in a foul mood, perpetuating more negativity and projecting it onto others by complaining about the injustice we’ve just endured or how "they" made me feel this way.
    Often our  mood is our choice but we react with the conditioning of our upbringing and it is our responsibility to notice when we are reacting habitually and decide to insert a new script!!...  maybe even some NEW general attitudes towards life, people and situations..
     If someone else’s grumpiness or mean-spirited demeanor is directed at us, it is simply a reflection of what is going on internally within them.It helps to remember this to not take it personally. Imagine being able to consciously see the situation for what it is — mean people don’t suck…their “attitude” does. Perhaps the person is having a really bad day; has just heard some terrible news; is feeling exhausted or ill; or was on the receiving end of someone else’s poisonous attitude?
     The point is, we don’t know what may be going on for that “mean” person and by choosing to not take their poison personally we create a space for potentially having some understanding around what they may be experiencing.

     Finding compassion within ourselves for those who aren’t necessarily aware of how their behavior affects others can be instrumental in profoundly changing the way we interact with and treat each other on a daily basis. By practicing gratitude and redirecting our focus onto positive thoughts of gratitude daily for all that we appreciate in our lives, however significant or small, can do wonders on how we feel about ourselves and how we view the world around us.
Imagine a world where everyone treats each other with kindness, love and compassion. What an amazing, wonderful and peaceful world this would truly be. By choosing to live consciously and by taking full and complete responsibility for our own thoughts, feelings, behaviors and moods, we will be kinder and happier ourselves.
     The next time you encounter someone in a foul mood, remember, mean people don’t suck…their attitude does. Don’t take it personally! Set a positive example by showing a little compassion and kindness to everyone no matter what. The ‘mean’ ones need it just as much as we do, if not more.  As Pema Chodron would say "May this person who is driving me crazy enjoy happiness and be free from suffering".