I was talking with my friend Jeff about the way I cannot get myself self to spend a ton of money on a fancy restaurant. He is very willing to spend a lot of money on a particularly good meal. Once in a blue moon I enjoy a super fancy meal at a wonderful place, but most of the time I find it very stressful to be spending money on something I could enjoy just as much for a lot less—and I find it hard to see why someone else would want to spend that much.
When Jeff and I discussed this, he told me some people would think it’s crazy I spend a lot of money going to concerts. I explained I don’t spend that much money because I don’t go to particularly expensive concerts, but before he could respond I realized everything is relative. If I spent $50 on a concert ticket, someone else might say, “why can’t you just go to a local bar and listen to a local band for the cost of one beer?”
That showed me I can do a whole lot better when it comes to how I view others. I know I can be judgmental. Interestingly, I’m finding the restaurant example to be a poor example since Jeff put it into perspective for me. Now that I see things more clearly, that example doesn’t occur to me as representative of how I judge people—because it’s something I no longer do.
I’ve always tried to keep in mind that everything is relative, and Jeff’s example about how much I spend on concerts is a good one. I think some houses near where I live are obscenely large, but someone else might think my house is obscenely large. Or I might find someone else’s expenditure for clothing to be outrageous, and someone else might think a much lower amount I spend is way more than necessary (and they would be right).
Do you catch yourself judging others? What do you do to stop yourself from those unproductive thoughts? Join the conversation with your comments…
Best regards,
David