The Power of being Un-offendable
I saw this question the other day:
What is a rule that I live by?
The first and immediate thing that came to mind was:
To be unoffendable.
I read the book "UnOffendable" by Brant Hansen in 2015 and it has been at the forefront of my mind ever since.
What Does Being Unoffendable Look Like
There are multiple facets to living an unoffendable life. Here is the best way I can flesh this out.
We will be wronged.
People will let us down.
We will have conflict.
We should not just pretend that these things didn't happen...we shouldn't put our fingers in our ears and repeat "na na na na na na" like we can't hear or don't want to deal with what is really going on.
We recognize issues and deal with them. We address things that need to be addressed.
BUT... we do this in a calm, peaceful, graceful way. We are quick to forgive and quick to reconcile.
And we are slow to anger...or to even be frustrated.
We think the best about people.
We don't jump to conclusions.
We don't bury them in our minds if they say or do something that might be interpreted as hurtful.
We are patient and eager to understand what they are going through and why this incident might have happened.
The Pro's to Being Unoffendable
Not only do we become people who others want to be around, we are also doing ourselves a favor.
When we are unoffendable, we are less stressed.
We have more energy because ours is not tied up into being outraged.
We walk in gratitude.
We are able to love others in healthier ways.
In short, we are free.
When we get easily offended, frustrated, or mad with others, we actually are held hostage by that person(s).
We have probably all been there. We get wronged by someone and we CAN'T LET IT GO. It plays on loop in our minds.
When we are unoffendable, we are not held hostage. We are free. Free to love and forgive them.
Side note: I obviously think some things are a big deal...I am not advocating that we minimize a big deal...but my experience is most things are not a big deal and yet we make them a big deal.
Stood Up
Two weeks ago I had a phone call scheduled with a leader.
I called at the scheduled time. No answer.
I text him "Just tried to call. Holler whenever you are free."
Three days later, he calls. He explained what happened.
Because this has been a 'rule' I try to live by...I was unoffended with him standing me up.
Things happen. It was really not a big deal.
I have been shown this same type of grace. When I blow it with another person, and that person is 'unoffendable', I am so thankful.
It makes me want to be around them more and do whatever I have to do to never let them down.
When I think of people who are unoffendable, low maintenance comes to mind.
I want to be a low maintenance person. I want to do 'business' with and be friends with low maintenance people.
What is one rule that you live by?
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One of my weekly disciplines is scouring the internet for articles/tweets I can learn from and/or use with those I work with. Below are two that I hope help encourage and equip you.
Article 1- Part 2 of the evaluating an NFL Head coach's communication
Article 2- Leading is the same
Podcast: Josh Brooks, Georgia AD. Total stud!
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