How you feel about yourself is how you feel about others (#944)

Say what? No way! Everyone else is doing things wrong, whereas if everyone would quit hindering me I would show you how to do everything right. And so it goes in each of our minds. lol. Although I have let that go and I am just happy enough to keep myself alive and useful. I can say with unequivocal assurance that I feel good about who I am today. That wasn't always the case but it is now. Then by my logic I should feel good about everyone else. I do except for those who take away my good feeling for them by harming themselves and/or others. Then I feel pity. I still feel good about myself but not at all about the harming ones. How did I achieve this reclamation of myself and good feeling? I worked on staying in the present moment and made sure my thoughts and actions were accountable to high principled standards. But Carl, you might say, how did you do that? I slowed down my urges and impulses so that I could have some control over them. The first, and by far the greatest impulsive characteristic I was able to tame was my mouth. I would blurt out things that crossed my mind only for an instant and then had to live with the foolishness and harm I reflected back on myself. I hold my tongue today, even when I am trying to be funny. Most of the noise that used to come out of my mouth was not intentional harmful, however I was never able to judge it because I let it fly without weighing the cost. The greatest thing we can do for ourselves is to shut up and listen whenever possible. At least for me it works, since I know in my heart most of the time I have nothing wise or helpful to add that is not already known by those who talk with me. I actually wait for others to ask me my advice now or for them to open up a dialogue that includes my input as welcome. Just stopping to think before I talk has improved my outlook on my own life immeasurably. I feel good about myself in that I am just another human being giving respect to myself and others.