Interpretation is often useless.
We all do it. Someone or something has us feeling frustrated, puzzled, or upset. We want to know why.
We ruminate and spin up explanations for why something occurred or why someone acted as they did. Then, we may act or make decisions based on our conclusions.
The problem is that our interpretations and game plans are likely based on incomplete information or erroneous assumptions. Later we may find out that what we believed to be true wasn’t. We fooled ourselves.
We waste our energy trying to understand why, in that our explanations are often incomplete or flat out wrong. If we act on our assumptions, we may have to backpedal to undo further confusion or hard feelings we created as a result.
Today’s message reminds me that although it may be hard, I’m best served by not trying to interpret others’ actions or interactions with me much. When I simply accept things as they are, I can decide how I want to respond. Incomplete or erroneous interpretation will only make that more difficult.
Please reflect and share. How have you misinterpreted a situation recently?