This next “Stand Up For Love” practice is an extension of yesterday's. While I'm working on not making assumptions, I'm also working on not taking things personally.
Not taking things personally is one of the Four Agreements written by Don Miguel Ruiz. It dovetails with not making assumptions about people. Not making assumptions is also one of the four agreements, but that practice started for me before I knew about the agreements. (It links to staying curious, but I'll say more about that tomorrow.) The practices of not taking things personally and not making assumptions keep me centered in the belief that everything I experience is a reflection of me, like a mirror. By not taking things personally, I am acknowledging this in others; That their experience of me is more a reflection of who they are than anything having to do with some truth about me. Not making assumptions keeps me from thinking I know what that means for them.
I believe that the essence of my existence is an inextricable part of the lens through which I perceive. In that way, everything that happens is an opportunity for me to pay attention to my perspective, and consider subsequent actions. Through this practice I can constantly unfold, and not get stuck in ways of being that are inconsistent with what I hold dear. I have found these practices very useful, and hope you do, too.