A couple of days ago, a singer friend of mine came to me, very troubled, because of an interaction she had had with a colleague. Evidently, this colleague made some rude comments (disguised as “career advice”), and my friend was angry and hurt.
The colleague was out of line and should not have said what she did, but it’s pointless to rail against that bad behavior. As much as I wish it weren’t so, I believe that there will always be people in our business (in every business?) who speak out of turn.
Insults don’t sting unless they find tender skin. The comments that hurt the most are actually reconstituted versions of our existing insecurities. Bullies see a wound, and they poke us there because they know it will hurt. We may not be able to completely avoid being poked, but we can work on turning open wounds into resilient scars.
Worry less about the insults coming from outside voices and more about what your inner voice is saying to you. The world will always have bullies, but they don’t have to live inside your head.
Let’s talk: Which wound are you ready to heal?
Photo: Freepik
