Don’t Take The Bait

No one, and I truly mean no one, can offend you without your consent. You must choose [or allow yourself] to take offense of the other party – to take the bait. There is an unmistakable and indisputable correlation between your ability to stay focused, make progress, and move forward on your journey to be successful, verses veering into the weeds on every issue and feeling you have to respond…..stay above the noise. You must avoid the pitfalls of taking offense at what someone says or does that may irritate you or that you disagree with.  Many of us have the propensity to go down that path, but it’s a slippery slope to nowhere. Refrain – it’s your choice…and don’t take the bait.

In the overall scope of life and in relation to the significance it has on you reaching your fullest potential, how much time, energy, and emotional capital do you want to invest in nonsense that does not really matter? The trivial “stuff” – give it no time; invest your energies into productive thoughts, conversations, and actions.

“If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.”
-Chinese Proverb

“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”
-William James

“Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one.”
-Benjamin Franklin

“The degree of one’s emotion varies inversely with the knowledge of the facts – the less you know, the hotter you get.”
-Bertrand Russell