How to Stay Centered When Others Criticize You or Share Their Problems

Recently, I watched the latest youtube video of Matt Kahn: “I am the Light” from December 2016. I enjoyed it so much and wanted to share a practice from that video which I apply in my life. It might be of benefit for you, too.

In spiritual texts “Light” often refers to “understanding” or to feelings of a very high frequency like joy, love and playfulness. In spiritual texts people want to become “enlightened” which has many meanings. One meaning that I love is that you know your heritage and know and feel that the same current flows through all of us even though we are all individuals.

Matt Kahn suggests that whenever there is a perceived problem in a conversation with someone else, you silently say to yourself, “I am the Light, the Light I am”. Reminding yourself of your heritage in a critical situation reinforces your feelings of self-worth and the other person’s value no matter what is happening on the surface and that everything is alright.

I recently found myself in a situation and when someone criticized me I repeated silently to myself, “I am the Light, the Light I am”. I felt so calm and peaceful inside. The urge to defend myself fell away and I could truly listen to what the other person had to say. I refrained from commenting, except to simply share something more meaningful after I heard the other person out than I would have said otherwise. I had the feeling the practice literally changed the energy of the whole situation and changed it for better. You don’t share with the other person what you are doing. But they will feel it and feel accepted, too. The cycle of “attack – defense” is nicely broken and healed with this practice.

Another instance in which I apply this practice consciously is when people tell me their problems. Instead of rushing in and making suggestions for solutions, I stay calm and listen. People usually come up with a solution for themselves and when you stay centered and calm, in the full consciousness that all is well and in Divine Order, you don’t have to say anything aloud. Saying this out loud could be received as a judgment and it doesn’t leave space for the other person to come to their own conclusions based on their own intuition.

I have found that this practice works best when I put my focus on letting the other person talk things out without interrupting them, by just staying present with what they say, instead of immediately wanting to share my thoughts. By implementing this active listening practice with the mantra and statement internally, you can expand your experience of achieving a kinder and more loving daily life. It really does have a transformative effect for your life and in the lives of others as well!