Today let’s talk about putting people in categories.
A friend once told me, “Dan, you put people in categories,
you pigeonhole them into the type of person you think they are.”
Then when they do something that doesn’t fit the category you assigned them, you don’t know what that means, so you get mad at them.” Those were tough words to take, but a great gift. It helped me see another aspect of my black and white rigid thinking. I was so afraid of people that it was easier to fit them into familiar stereotypes than actually getting to know them. I had to overcome my own fears and get to know people – and let them get to know me – to be able to really connect with others. It allowed me to begin to see and get to know people for who they really were, and was very freeing.
Do you ever mentally sort people by type?
Photo Credit
Lineup – by Henry_Spencer On Flickr – Some rights reserved
Dan L. Hays offers encouragement for adult children of alcoholics.
The podcasts of these episodes can be found at: Minute to Freedom
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