Monika and Jan Zands welcome you to Mindset Academy, a space thought to help you have the best possible mind, soul, spirit, and body relationship in order to live the life of your dreams.

This month, the book The Four Agreements is being discussed. Today, the second agreement is where the focus is: “Do Not Take Things Personally.”

We usually take things personally because somewhat we think we are special and what’s happening around us is directly related to us. We carry this “backpack” of beliefs and thoughts that we assumed belong to us.

Jan divides this concept in two: Taking personally what people do or taking personally what people say. We usually make assumptions, giving reasons why people are saying or doing what they do and how that has to do with us personally. How can we change this?

We can create alternate perspectives, we can dive into why we felt touched and affected by this situation by discovering our own view about ourselves.

You know that you are taking things personally when there is a discomfort involved. Reflect into what hurts to find out what are your beliefs about yourself that are rising.

Ask yourself: What if I am not the way I show myself to be?

If you can really see what you are hiding from yourself, then you can really be free and stop taking things personally.

See your greatness, be your greatness, and pay it forward!

Consider/Ask Yourself:

• Practice: Think about one time you have taken things personally and that created upset — where the hurt comes from; how that talks about you and what you think about yourself.

Resources:

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book), by Don Miguel Ruiz