Coupled with forgiveness, releasing judgement has been one of the things that I struggle with the most as I continue on my journey of self-awareness and enlightenment. What’s interesting, is that the more work I do on achieving inner peace, the more aware I am of just how judgemental I am! Being more conscious brings a heightened awareness to everything that we do – the thoughts we think, the words we speak and even the food we eat. So with all this work I am doing, and the knowledge gleaned from the books I’ve read, I am now more aware of my reactions to those around me.
I have come to realize that I have unconsciously set up expectations of those around me based on my own awareness. I have caught myself expecting that everyone around me is doing the same work, is at the same level of self awareness. When the actions of friends or family, or even strangers don’t comply with my way of thinking, I find myself admonishing their behaviour, wondering how they could be so “foolish” or “irresponsible”. Now that I am aware of what it is that I am doing, I have made a conscious decision to release my judgement of others and of myself.
I now realize that everyone, including me, has to be free to make whatever choices they feel are right for them. Just as I don’t want anyone judging me for the things I do, I should honour that desire to be free of judgement in others. How will I achieve this? I think the first part is to release my desire to control things that are external to me. What others chose to do with their lives is not my business. I have enough on my plate working on my own life – working on being a better friend, daughter, sister, and spouse. The thoughts and actions of others cannot be an area that I put my focus on. That doesn’t mean that I don’t care, or that I will not help if it is requested, but it means that I am no longer going to project my own beliefs and opinions on others. I am learning that I have to respect everyone’s right to be free to do whatever their intuition guides them to do. I don’t expect that it will happen overnight, but I am going to do my best to release judgement of others and embrace love in all things instead! ♥
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