• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Right Attitudes

Ideas for Impact

It’s Never About You

December 15, 2025 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Don't Take It Personally: Others' Actions Reflect Them, Not Your Worth. Disappointed? Hurt? Offended?

Let’s get real: most slights aren’t about you.

Someone trashed your Instagram post, shot down your opinion, or picked a petty fight? Not about you. They’re venting or projecting. You’re just collateral damage.

Your friend forgot your birthday, your coworker swiped your idea, or a relative threw a harsh critique? It stings. Still not about you. Their actions come from their own mess.

Customer service left you hanging, or some frustrating process ate hours of your life? Annoying, yes—personal, no. These systems aren’t made for you.

Lost money or a bad investment? Blame timing, luck, or the universe’s indifference. Not about you.

Someone dropped a cruel comment? Still not about you. Their bias says everything about them, not you.

Here’s the truth: people are self-absorbed. We live in our own bubbles, always chasing our own needs and fears. We rarely see others as full people. They’re props in our drama. And who loses sleep over props?

Idea for Impact: When someone disappoints you, remember: it’s not about you. Odds are, you didn’t even cross their mind.

Stop asking, “What does this say about me?” The answer is, “Nothing.” Flip the script. Focus on what their behavior says about them. Dropping the “me lens” reduces stress, lowers anxiety, and builds empathy. Life’s randomness isn’t yours to control. But resilience? That’s your superpower. Not every bump needs a deep dive.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. Affection Is No Defense: Good Intentions Make Excellent Alibis
  2. You’re Worthy of Respect
  3. How to … Care Less About What Other People Think
  4. Could Limiting Social Media Reduce Your Anxiety About Work?
  5. Who Told You That Everybody Was Going to Like You?

Filed Under: Managing People, Mental Models, Sharpening Your Skills Tagged With: Assertiveness, Attitudes, Confidence, Conflict, Emotions, Getting Along, Likeability, Relationships, Resilience

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Popular Now

Anxiety Assertiveness Attitudes Balance Biases Coaching Conflict Conversations Creativity Critical Thinking Decision-Making Discipline Emotions Entrepreneurs Etiquette Feedback Getting Along Getting Things Done Goals Great Manager Innovation Leadership Leadership Lessons Likeability Mental Models Mentoring Mindfulness Motivation Networking Parables Performance Management Persuasion Philosophy Problem Solving Procrastination Relationships Simple Living Social Skills Stress Suffering Thinking Tools Thought Process Time Management Winning on the Job Wisdom

About: Nagesh Belludi [hire] is a St. Petersburg, Florida-based freethinker, investor, and leadership coach. He specializes in helping executives and companies ensure that the overall quality of their decision-making benefits isn’t compromised by a lack of a big-picture understanding.

Get Updates

Signup for emails

Subscribe via RSS

Contact Nagesh Belludi

RECOMMENDED BOOK:
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: Marie Kondo

Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo's bestseller has elevated the domestic chore of cleaning up into a process of emancipation and self-discovery.

Explore

  • Announcements
  • Belief and Spirituality
  • Business Stories
  • Career Development
  • Effective Communication
  • Great Personalities
  • Health and Well-being
  • Ideas and Insights
  • Inspirational Quotations
  • Leadership
  • Leadership Reading
  • Leading Teams
  • Living the Good Life
  • Managing Business Functions
  • Managing People
  • MBA in a Nutshell
  • Mental Models
  • News Analysis
  • Personal Finance
  • Podcasts
  • Project Management
  • Proverbs & Maxims
  • Sharpening Your Skills
  • The Great Innovators

Recently,

  • It’s Never About You
  • Inspirational Quotations #1132
  • What You’re Saying When You Say ‘Yes’
  • To-Do or Not To-Do?
  • Nice Ways to Say ‘No’
  • Inspirational Quotations #1131
  • Boundaries Define What You are—and What You’re Not

Unless otherwise stated in the individual document, the works above are © Nagesh Belludi under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license. You may quote, copy and share them freely, as long as you link back to RightAttitudes.com, don't make money with them, and don't modify the content. Enjoy!