The Secret to Finding Peace: Don't Take ANYTHING Personally

​The last few months have been really stressful for me because I was taking every comment, criticism, and   opinion personally. 
Then I remembered to not give a fuck. 

"If on your journey to success, you trip over every stones and pebble that is someone else's opinion of you, how will you ever reach your destination? Move around." - Jonathan McMillan

Neither words nor deeds nor thoughts others say, do, or think about us, either good or bad, should be taken personally. This is an incredibly powerful habit to develop and key to living a better than average life.

No Real Benefit
Too often, most of us are driven by what someone else says to us, or what we think someone else thinks about us. We trip over other people's opinions or worse our own. We get into consuming arguments with no real benefit trying to prove ourselves right or others wrong. We sacrifice important relationships because we take to heart comments or opinions that may or may not be constructive criticism. We burn bridges because we stubbornly cling to our pride not realizing how damaging this is to our relationships and careers.

​If you're doing what you know you're supposed to be doing to be the best person you are capable of being then what does it matter what anyone else has to say? What does it matter what anyone else thinks? Some people are committed to destroying your happiness because they are unable to find their own. Know this is their problem - not yours. As the old church hymn goes "This joy I have, the world didn't give it to me and the world can't take it away!"

You Were Born To Achieve and Excel
Sometimes self doubt and fear can tell you things that you know aren't true and you take them personally. They tell you that you're not good enough or smart enough or strong enough or you don't deserve it enough. You can't take those thoughts personally either. They are just the residual noise of the limitations others have placed on you. You were born to achieve and excel and did so until others told you what you couldn't do. You learned to breathe, walk, talk and thousands of other really incredible achievements even before you knew you were achieving. 

"​You Were Born To Achieve and Excel! You learned to breathe, walk, talk and thousands of other really incredible achievements even before you knew you were achieving."  - Jonathan McMillan

​Also by not taking anything personally, you are taking responsibility for your life and your happiness. Others will do things that don't serve to further your success. They will disappoint you, deceive you and flat out hurt you if you allow it. However, if you don't take the actions of others personally, and understand that it is their inadequacies that cause these failures of character and nothing you are responsible for or caused then you are able to move forward on your journey of personal development free of baggage that will limit your growth potential. In other words, you cannot be blamed nor can you blame others. When you stop taking everything personally, you will stop applying limits on what you can achieve. You will stop thinking "I can't succeed because my dad didn't believe in me". You will stop using the excuses for destructive behavior like "She made me mad, or sad." because nothing anyone says or does is taken personally. It just doesn't have any benefit. 

"When you stop taking everything personally, you will stop applying limits on what you can achieve."  - Jonathan McMillan

For more insight on developing the habit of not taking anything personally, read: The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz.  and watch: Don Miguel Ruiz: How to Not Take Things Personally | SuperSoul Sunday | Oprah Winfrey Network.

Jonathan McMillan is a success strategist and inspirational speaker. He specializes in gang intervention/desistance strategies, adult & youth leadership development, community engagement, goal setting, empowered identity building, critical thinking skill development and interpersonal relationship development. 

Please contact him at [email protected] for booking information