It seems when I see other people, I categorize them into people I identify with and people who annoy me.

Deepak Chopra has a great exercise. He says to take a sheet of paper and make a list of all of the people you really like, admire, respect, and love in the world. Then write down all of the qualities about those people that put them on that list for you.

On a separate sheet of people, write a list of all of the people that you don’t like, who annoy you, or have hurt you. Then write down all of the qualities about those people that put them on that list for you.

Take time to examine the two lists. What do you see?

Of course, everyone on your first list embodies all of the qualities that you see present in yourself everyday. Right? They should. We all have those qualities.

But what about the people on the other list? They also represent you. Both lists together are really a mirror. You are everything on both lists. You embody it all.

And that’s a good thing. We’re all connected. Perhaps you can try Deepak’s little exercise. See what you learn about yourself. Hopefully, you can not only learn to embrace everything about yourself, but you also learn to love and respect some of the people on your second list as well. After all, you have a lot in common with them.