Don’t Be Triggered, Be Accountable

A proverb says, “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”

Can you imagine NOT being offended more often than BEING offended in today’s world? I bet you can. 🙌🏻

It’s still awfully easy, though, to think, “Gee, I know a lot of people who need to hear this!” But alas, as always, good counsel like this is for … me.

To be “unoffendable”—at work, at home, in society—means I could and would stand out. And to be outstanding is a good thing. Agree?

Being Triggered Is Now a Thing

At the doctor’s office, as they were about to take our thirty-something son’s blood pressure and record his weight—all standard medical procedures—he was asked, “Will weighing you be a trigger for you?” Essentially, Millennial Michael responded with …

Huh? What? Uh, no, not at all.

Later, it was, “Dad, can you believe they asked me that and thought I’d be upset with being weighed?”

No, I can’t, son, but I guess it’s the way of the world now.

“Trigger” is a trendy term nowadays, as society teaches us to take offense early and often. So if being offended is a thing, then “being triggered” must be one, too. SOMETHING must spark, initiate, or trigger my offendedness—that is, my hurt, frustration, or anger.

What I’ve found, though, is that life is more fun—and I have far more joy—when I strive not to be upset. No one really likes negative feelings, but they happen; I get that. All humans have them. But do we let them surface so intensely that we lash out at family, friends, and coworkers? Or even at people we don’t know on Social Media? All because we’ve been triggered into a high level of “offendedness”?

I can do better.

Maturing Is a Thing, Too

What do you think the characteristics of adulthood are; what’s called “adulting” nowadays? As I’ve worked my way through almost 7 decades of living, I’ve had to shed negative, immature behaviors and attitudes like these:

• Overreacting to people’s words and actions

• Angering quickly 

• Holding onto others’ mistakes

• Focusing on my needs first

• Needing gratification NOW

• Jumping to fact-less conclusions

• Assuming the worst of other people

• Thinking I know everything

• Needing everyone to agree with me on everything. (Enjoy our “Since When Does Disagreeing Make You a Bad Person” podcast!)

When we asked in our QBQ! Facebook Group what the signs of adulthood are, one gent said “self-auditing.” When I saw that, I thought, That’s what the QBQ! book is all about!  Getting to that mature level of “auditing myself” by asking QBQs like, “How can I change me?” “What can I do to be my best?” “How can I forgive?” and “What can I do to let go?”—instead of allowing people and events beyond my control to trigger me.

⬆️ This is personal accountability. ⬆️

How about you? Triggered much? Or have you grown up? Share your thoughts!