Remind yourself not to take it personally

When you take the negative things others say about you personally, you get trapped in your own personal importance because you are operating under the selfish assumption that everything is about you. You start to get depressed and unhappy because you start to believe those negative things about yourself.

Once you stop taking things personally, you will be much happier.

1. Realize that nothing other people do is because of you.
   It is because of them. Even if someone insults you directly, it has more to do with what’s going on in his or her mind than anything else. He or she is trying to send you emotional poison, but you must not accept it.

2. Understand that you are the only person who knows who you are.
   Just because someone says something mean or rude about you does not make it true.

3. Write down “Don’t take anything personally” on a piece of paper.
   Stick it on your refrigerator. Reading this daily will help reinforce the idea.