Tonight I had the opportunity to listen to two of my associates as they conversed. One of them shared an experience he had. The other immediately responded with a similar experience. The first upon hearing the experience of the second immediately rebutted as though he had just received an attack on his response. What I recognized is that both were sharing experiences that were truly unique. Although one experience differed from the other it was nothing more than an experience based on the perspective of the person telling it. Too often in life people feel as though they are being attacked in a conversation when in reality one of the parties is merely telling about their version of life based on how they see it. It never means that we have to subscribe to their way of thinking or even that they are forcing us to see the world their way. Because come on, can anyone really force us to do anything? If we allow the words other people use to affect us, it is by our own choice. If we subscribe to their way of thinking it is not because they made us, it is because we chose into it. It’s time to not take things personal. People are truly unique and that is what makes this world so great. I feel we get to honor them in their choice to be different. Someone told me that “You can’t go to war with someone you respect.” Think about that! What if you would allow people to be who they want to be? How would that shift the world?