Think about the most recent time you had a fight with a close friend. Did it feel like both of you were feeding on each other’s negative energy and the energy around you felt so tense, strangers walking by could sense something is wrong? Now think about a time where you were expecting a friend act a certain way, and then they reacted to you in a completely different and unexpected way. The world is your mirror. What you see is your reality. What you expect from the world is what you get, for the most part.

So next time you’re in an unpleasant situation, imagine the other person is your mirror. Think of their actions as a mirror of yours, and that their words are your own. Imagine they are physically you and you are talking to “you.” What would you say differently to “yourself” if the other “self” attacked you? Would you be more understanding and remain calm in your reaction? Try this exercise with those you have trouble getting along with.

See a lot of times, what people say about us are really their own characteristics. Their attacks and judgements are their own insecurities. Underneath all those insecurities are fears. Fears of not being good enough. Fears of not being loved. Fear of aging. Fear of death. And the list goes on. So next time you have a conflict with someone, think of them as your mirror and that their underlying fears have nothing to do with you. Their anger is not directed to you but an expression of anger towards themselves. Don’t feed on their negative energy, change your reaction by being more understanding. Be the change you want to see in them. Be the inspiration they need so that they will gain awareness that they too may need to change their approach.

“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”

Mahatma Gandhi

In addition, the beauty you see in others is your own beauty. Like attracts like. Think about the friends you have. Your closest ones probably reflect most, if not all, your amazing qualities! The world we live in is the mirror of our attitudes and expectations. So expect greatness from others and yourself and that’s what you will receive.

“Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.” – Ernest Holmes