When Someone Pushes Your Buttons
Do you have a person or perhaps more than one person who really gets under your skin and pushes your buttons?
I’m not talking about a person who is physically, mentally or emotionally abusive. That’s a topic for another day.
I’m talking about that person who rubs you the wrong way.
They could be a co-worker, a family member, a friend, a neighbour, or perhaps even someone you do not personally know but are exposed to through the media.
Whoever they are, they have a way of getting under your skin and to top it off, it can seem the more you want them out of your life, the more they keep showing up!
I’ve had more than one in my lifetime and it can be very frustrating, to say the least.
But what if they are actually in your life to help you?
Yup, it’s time for a MindShift Moment.
Remember all of life is a mirror, a gift for you to better understand yourself and that includes the button pushers.
When people like that come into your life, instead of seeing them as a royal pain in the backside, take a step back to see the gift being given to you by this person (most likely subconsciously on their part).
What’s really interesting is that once you see and understand the gift, their ability to push your buttons can diminish, no longer be an issue and quite likely the person will cease to show up in your life (or at least not as often).
Here’s an example of a button pusher I had in my life:
Several years ago, I had a person who would come into my life whenever I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone. In a nutshell, whenever I was leading an education based group session or being asked for my guidance at an event we were both attending, this person would basically manipulate the conversation and position herself as the expert on what I was speaking about. Each time, I would watch the pattern emerge and observe myself taking a back seat. I would leave encounters with this person confused, deflated and angry.
That is until I understood the gifts being given to me by this person:
Gift 1 – It’s okay to set boundaries.
Gift 2 – Don’t undervalue what I have to offer.
Gift 3 – Embrace being a leader while still honouring my quiet power.
Once I saw the gifts, this person no longer attended the sessions I led and I owned my role as the leader and the expertise I offered. They rarely came to the same network meetings and if they did, they no longer interrupted me when I was in conversation with another person.
How about you?
Have you had someone in your life that pushed your buttons? Have you been able to see the gift being given to you by this person? Did your interactions with them change after you understood the gifts?
I’d love to hear about your experience.
‘Til next time if you liked this, please social share it. Together we can help create a global mind shift.
