People are people so why should it be, you and I should get along so awfully...

Have you ever known anyone who really believes it's "all about them"?

Have you ever known people who were so insecure about themselves, they genuinely can't like anyone else?

Have you ever known people who don't like certain personality traits of their own, so they reflect them onto other people without any true rationale or basis for the accusation?

Jealousy. Resentment. Insecurity. Negativity.
All wasted emotions.
Who has time for it? And more importantly - ugh, the energy?!?!

Life is too short - and truly, if you can't be happy in your own skin then you can't be happy with anyone else.

I much prefer to subscribe to the Ghandi perspective: "Be the change you want to see in the world". I am not perfect, but I'm okay with not having to be either. And so long as I am a good person, then that's one step in the right direction. I rather like being a work in progress - there's so much to learn in life.

At the same time, I'm not easily influenced by others; I believe in who I am as a person, and so I don't need to be validated by someone else's approval; I'm usually pretty good about not judging others until they've given me a reason to make a decision about who they are as a person. I know that not everyone else is like that - and it can be a struggle sometimes.

Life isn't easy. We all won't always get along; and we all won't always like each other's points of views. But we all need to respect one another, when we're feeling good about ourselves -- and when we're having moments of insecurity.

We are in control of our own destiny - and there is no one else responsible for our own successeses or mistakes in life -- than ourselves.