When my sister was young, she was the dream of high school boys and the envy of high school girls. As a result, some of the more jealous young women would make unkind remarks and usually untrue remarks about her. She remained unaffected by their barbs.

One day I asked her why she wasn’t reacting, Why she wasn’t crying. Why she wasn’t seeking revenge. “If someone said you had a purple eggplant growing out of your ear, would your feelings be hurt?” she asked me.

“Of course not.” I replied. “Anyone can see that’s not true.”

“Well, the things they’re saying about me aren’t true either. So why should I let them bother me?”

It made perfect sense to me then. And, it makes perfect sense to me now. We spend altogether too much time at work worrying about what others have said, are saying, might say about us. In truth, we have too many other things to worry about.

Think of all the time and energy that are wasted by gossip in schools, in neighborhoods, in workplaces. Think of our new president and his ongoing insistence on taking the verbal high road. And then remember the truth behind these anonymous words: “Small minds discuss people. Average minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas.”

Be great-minded from this day forward. And, whenever you’re tempted to let the unkind words of others alter your mood, just remember what Dolly Parton has to say about “dumb-blonde” jokes. “I’m never bothered by dumb blonde jokes,” she confidently tells people. “That’s because I know I’m not dumb.”

Her self-assurance cannot be denied.  She then adds, “I also know that I’m not blonde!”

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About the Author:
Dr. Marlene Caroselli (mccpd@frontiernet.net; www.caroselli.biz) is a keynoter, corporate trainer, and the author of 60 business books and one e-book, Principled Persuasion, named a Director’s Choice by Doubleday Book Club when first released.
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