Someone gestured at me in traffic yesterday. Apparently I didn’t change lanes fast enough for him, and when he made a right turn behind me, he took that opportunity to honk his horn and give me an angry salute.

I felt mad. Defensive. And I told myself all kinds of tales about what a rude, immature, maladjusted human he was, and how I bet he went home and growled at his wife and kids, and left misery in his wake everywhere he went. Pathetic.  I let the incident take up valuable real estate in my mind and my emotions for a good half hour after that.

Not an optimal use of headspace, but you yourself have probably had a similar experience with someone whose negative attitude toward you sent you into a bit of a funk.

Or sometimes, more often,  maybe the source of your challenge was just…annoying.

Either way, your automatic response isn’t usually one of compassion toward the offender. But it can be. And often it should be, because such a response can help preserve your joy.

Find out how here…

NOTE:

Newberry, Tommy. 40 Days to Living a Joy-Filled Life. Tyndale House Publishers, 2012.