Lynn Toler Instagram – I contend my mother was an #emotional genius. Rarely did she accede to an #emotion w/out determining whether acting on it would inure to her benefit. She could #feel, then she’d #THINK and only then would she act. I wrote #MyMothersRules before Divorce Court. I thought that would be the best way to teach what she knew. Then TV called. And I got to shout it from the rooftops! Like here. The thing is you have to be able to hear past the insult you feel when criticized and determine if there’s any validity to it. And though I’m not immune to the emotional barbs and bullets people throw mom DID teach me not to shudder and wilt when met with criticism. I had to consider it objectively and if that criticism was true I had to actively decide to let go of how being told I was wrong made me feel so I could use the information to learn something about myself. Of course, you can’t go around absorbing people’s criticism all Willy-Nilly. Some people are suffused with so much unhappiness they can’t carry it all, so they offload some of that on others inappropriately. That said, even people who don’t like you and try to hurt you can be of assistance to you. The trick is to consider the comments objectively and make a decision to accept it or dismiss it, intelligently and then do The Next Thing. If the critique was valid The Next Thing is to put processes and procedures in place to improve. If the criticism was unwarranted The Next Thing is to pay it no mind. It’s not easy to do but you can practice glacial. I’m not an iceberg yet, but I’m like black ice on a road. Unobtrusive yet slippery. Anyway, out of 14 years on TV, this is one of my top five keepers. It’s me showing someone the way out of their own personal emotional prison. Whether she truly got out, I don’t know, but she heard me. That’s how better starts. P.s. and yes I actually Re-look at it. 🧐 Terrible word choice but I was rolling and the right word couldn’t catch up with me. Y’all have a wonderful holiday season. #BeKind #StayUp #GiveGrace It’s getting choppy out there, people. Remain vigilant but don’t be a vigilante. #emotionalintelligence #momlife