You can’t fix another person, but you can make the quality of your life better by limiting your interaction with those who make you unhappy. When piano teacher and Dr. Laura listener, Rachel, called me, she was frustrated by the disrespectful way certain students had treated her over the year. Even worse, these same kids acted out at their end-of-year recital in front of their parents who failed to correct them or apologize to Rachel.
“You’re the boss,” I told her. “You're the teacher. You decide. If they're not putting in the kind of effort and respect you wish to see, get rid of them.”
It can be uncomfortable to stand up for yourself, but there doesn’t need to be a nasty confrontation. In Rachel’s case, I suggested she send a polite and upbeat email letting the offending families know that their children would be welcomed back when they had developed into more conscientious students who weren’t wasting their parents’ money. She sounded relieved at just the thought of being able to start the next session without them.
You are the boss of your life. You are the architect of your life. You are the master gardener of your life. What do you want to plant and what do you want to weed out? Take control over the things you can so your happiness can bloom.
How have you taken back control of your life, and what has that looked like for you? Share your stories with me here!