CHAPTER 9
It’s all about me
“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” ABRAHAM LINCOLN
OWNING OUR REACTIONS
If I had a fear of mice would that mean mice were dangerous? Not at all. Mice, after all, are just mice. My fear would have more to do with the way I’ve learned to think about mice, together with my unconscious programming. The sight of a mouse would simply be the trigger for my programmed reaction to mice.
When I see a mouse I might think there’s something dangerous or inherently frightening about mice. We tend to project our reactions onto the situations, things or people that trigger them and view them as the cause of our reaction.
But if we can take ‘ownership’ of ourreaction, that is acknowledge that ...
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