A. If you’ve done any measure of self-reflection when you find yourself thinking “I don’t like that person”, chances are good that you’ve realized that the person’s behavior is actually reminiscent of an aspect of yourself that you don’t like.
(If you haven’t done much reflection in this situation, I highly recommend it – it’s an excellent tool for finding those insecurities tucked away in the corners of your mind. It’s like the dentist’s mirror they use to find your cavities!)

B. I was recently asked “What in your life do you most need?” And basically, what I want/need most in my life is to be free from my insecurities. (Don’t we all!) I feel plagued by them; they nip at my heels and poke at me, even as I gain confidence and strength. They aren’t serious, harmful insecurities – they’re just bothersome! I know most of them are ridiculous, but they continue to rise up in my brain.

A + B – C = Free?
And SO, while thinking about these things, I was struck by an idea so naively simple… that it might just work!

If I dislike otherwise lovely people because of ways they remind me of my own faults,
if I actively change my feelings towards them so that I DO like them, I will avoid the scenario in A, therefore removing the annoyance from my insecurities. I will also begin to view positively the traits in B that I have always tried to disassociate from, and accept them as my own, regardless of their value.

By removing the dislike (C) I have been adding in, could I finally break free of those nagging concerns and doubts in the back of my mind that keep me from fully being me? It’s a theory that sounds awfully simple (and uncharacteristically robotic of me), but it certainly seems worth a try!