Lesson learned!

This past week I was faced with a challenging situation that caused me to react and want to strike back.  Fortunately my body awareness alerted me to this when I felt a gripping sensation in my belly.  I was also able to discuss it with a friend who let me vent and offered me some good wisdom.  In my reactive state I said "I feel that she does not value my integrity" to which my friend replied "no Tracy its not YOUR integrity that she doesn't value, she doesn't value INTEGRITY at all". Wow thanks!  This allowed me to not take the matter personally, it also allowed me to see that I had a choice as to whether or not I wanted to do business with someone who did not value integrity. It was then up to me to decide if I wished to continue a business relationship that did not align with my values.  I was able to make this decision not out of anger and frustration but from a choice I made a few years ago to only do business with people who valued my services, paid a fair price for them and that I liked as a person. I know that if I had made the decision in my anger state I would have beat myself up about it later.  I would have thought I could have said something differently, or been more accommodating and on and on.  Because I was able to take a step back and figure it out I was able to respond (not react) with an appropriate action.  I also realized that in the past when I had been too accommodating and then faced my own wrath, it was because I was trying to "force" the outcome by having the other person see it my way.  Then when they did not I would feel as if I had done something wrong.  Crazy!  Oh the stories we tell ourselves!!  So thankful for this lesson and all of my lessons. . . .just wanted to share :)