Imagine a beautiful stained glass window with lovely, intricate details that was handcrafted at the turn of the century. Now imagine what would happen if someone carelessly threw a rock at that same window. The rock would crash right through, and the window would break.

Picture, instead, that same stained glass window left wide open. When the rock is thrown at the window, it would simply pass through the open space. The beautiful stained glass would remain intact.

You are that beautiful window. And many times in life, rocks (or negativity) are thrown your way. You protect yourself by hunkering down and closing your “windows” for protection. But the rocks somehow manage to make their way inside.

What might happen if you opened your windows instead of locking them shut? Allow those “rocks” to slip past you. Start to view negative experiences, negative words, or even negative people from a different perspective. Then these experiences will begin to build you, not break you.