You Can’t Make Me

“Choose not to be harmed, and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed, and you haven’t been.” — Marcus Aurelius

This writing is certified Human

The Obstacle

He makes me so mad
She drives me insane
If I have to do this one more time
I’m going to go crazy.

People can be frustrating
They can get under our skin
They can MAKE us…

How they act
The way they treat us
Their attitude
People seem to pull our strings
But are we puppets to their will?

Can they make us?
If we allow it.

We allow others into our heads
They dictate our thoughts
Stir our emotions
Drive our actions…

They can’t make us
We allow it.

The Gift and Opportunity

No one can make us.

Just as a bear will be a bear
Others will be who and how they are
It is up to us
To not allow them to dictate our emotions and actions. 

They are not that powerful.

Our thoughts
Our emotions
Our actions
Are our own
We own them.

They are ours unless
We choose to give them away
We can feel our feelings
Without becoming them.

They can’t make you.

The Practice of Self-Mastery

• Plan for the trigger

• Sense the wave before it breaks

• Pause before words or action

• Be in control of the response

  CHEAT CODE: PLAN→ SENSE→ PAUSE→ CHOOSE