Daryl Wood's Blog

I am deeply grateful for the work of Don Miguel Ruiz in The Four Agreements. From him, and others, I learned not to take things personally … and most of the time I don’t. And when I do, it’s usually only for a brief time until I reorient myself.

You see, I was raised to feel a disproportionate sense of responsibility for other people’s unhappiness or discontent. So it’s only ‘natural’ that I would immediately absorb other people’s feelings and hold myself accountable. But it’s not true. We all choose from wherever we are. We choose from an accumulation of our history, our biography, our present moment needs and our perspectives on ourselves and the world.

To take things personally is to see myself as a victim, powerless over the opinions of others. Instead, I own my feelings and emotions and release others to do the same. In the end, it opens a space for acceptance and love. And that’s all that matters.