Learn to laugh at yourself

Watched "Dr. Phil" yesterday. When concluding he mentioned something that caught my attention which were along the lines of:

"If you can't learn to laugh at yourself then all you'll do is cry"

This is very applicable in our every day life. If we are unable to laugh at ourselves, then what happiness can we have in this world when everyone seems to be so judgemental of others? I suppose it all comes down to our inner strength to allow us to believe in ourselves and be self-confident by not allowing words or actions from others to harm the perception of ourselves.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mean that we should be egoistic or proud and look down on others but just learn how to accept ourselves for who we are and not what others think we are because in the end, only we know ourselves best and while others can leave us, we will never be able to leave ourselves.

To be in denial and withdraw ourselves from the crowd to hide ourselves away from criticisms only shelters us from the outside world. It does not help us to grow in the sense of maturity, confidence, independence and experience which we require for survival in the real world.

The way people treat us will be a reflection of how much we respect ourselves. Strangers may become our friend or foe depending on our willingness to put ourselves on the line and learn to accept people as an imperfect being on this earth, which we too are.

In the end, if only everyone lived according to the commandment that:
"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself"
then this world would never have a drop of a sad tear because in reality, everyone loves themselves too much to inflict pain and hurt on themselves.

So, if you find yourself attacked by negative comments from those around you... learn how to laugh at yourself so maybe you can avoid needless tears...