Beware Sanctimony, Condescension and Eye-Rolling

Anytime you catch yourself making sad, sighing or disparaging remarks about “them” or “those people” or “kids today…” you are putting yourself in the perilous position of believing you know better.

Which you don’t.

Even if you clearly DO – you still don’t. Because we can’t get inside people’s minds, we don’t really know what’s best for other people (we’re not even that accurate about predicting what is best for ourselves) and most of all: have you noticed that your disapproval has absolutely ZERO effect?

And I’ve observed that whenever I’m getting all wrapped up in what someone else is or isn’t doing or should or shouldn’t be doing, I’m really just distracting myself from my own issues around that matter.

And that’s just…ugly.

So next time you feel the urge to disparage, why not take the opportunity for a little self-examination instead? No need to be mean to yourself, just launch a brief inquiry.

Ask yourself:
What rule of mine are they breaking?