HEALING MYSELF OF THE NEED TO REACT TO THE ACTIONS OF OTHERS! I will gain understanding when I realize . . . how I interpret what comes at me is a reflection of what is in me.

When something someone says or does upsets you, your upset is not about the other person. Feelings are triggered within youwhen an external source bumps into something that is aready there.  A  self-inquiry will help you figure out what you are hiding that is being triggered by what you are experiencing. When you least expect it, truth will fly out of someone's mouth. That truth will burn a hole in your defenses, and chances are it is going to upset you. More than likely you will direct your upset toward the person who released the truth your were denying, ignoring or trying to excuse away.  If, on the other hand, you turn inward, then you are opening the door to a wholesome self-inquiry that will ultimately lead you to something that needs to be healed. A self-inquiry indicates your desire to take charge of rampant emotions so that you are not manipulated like a puppet by the things that go on around you.  A self-inquiry begins the moment you experience the upset and ask the question.  What am I feeling? Once you get the nature of the feeling, you must ask yourself,  Why am I feeling this? The answer is likely to be,Because so-and-so did such-and-such! WRONG! Do not lay your feelings in someone else's lap.  Take charge!  Call forth your issues so that they can be healed.  Doing anything less will leave you out of touch with you and at the mercy of everything and everyone. Until today, you may have been tricked into believing that people can upset you.  Just for today, be aware of what it is in you that triggers toxic emotions. If your trigger is pulled, run to the nearest quiet place and begin your healing process with self-inquiry. Today I am devoted to healing myself of the need to react to the actions of others! From Until Today!    by Iyanla Vanzant