Negative comments, whether intentionally hurtful or not, can cut you to the quick today, leaving you feeling intensely vulnerable to the tempers of people around you. However, your emotional susceptibility may be the result of your promptness to react sensitively to what you think is upsetting or unkind. If you consciously examine the feelings the judgmental and cruel statements you hear provoke within you, you may discover that others had no intention of awakening your ire. Your thoughtful analysis of any words that caused pain may enable you to see that the affronts and offenses you bear today were inspired not by mindful meanness but by the emotions others are unable or unwilling to express.

We empower ourselves to develop unshakable confidence when we accept that the judgments put forth by others are merely their opinions and not truths in and of themselves. The people we encounter each day can have such a profound effect on our thoughts and feelings, and it can be difficult to remember that they are subject to the irrationality and inconsistencies of all human beings. When we recognize that others' opinions are influenced by many factors, however, we can take harsh criticism and negativity with a grain of salt. As we learn to consciously modulate our sensitivity, we regain the power to move through life with strides that are unbroken by disapproval. You will no longer be susceptible to hurtful people today when you understand that their condemnation has little to do with you.