It Takes One To Know One

Do you remember this saying from when we were young? It usually was said spitefully and hastily after someone called you an unpleasant name. It went something like this: “You are so ugly.” Response: “It takes one to know one!”

I’m tickled just thinking about those exchanges. They were innocent and the best “snap back” that most of us could come up with during those heated exchanges. So now that we are all grown up, I want to put a new spin on this old saying.

Often times we are looking for qualities in other people that we either do not have or are not willing to develop in ourselves. It’s like we set these standards for others that we, ourselves, are not even willing to meet. For instance, we are expecting others to be honest. Well, are we honest with others? We are expecting others to be our friends. Are we friends to others? We expect others to readily forgive us. Do we readily forgive others? I think you see where I’m going with this.

I think we can take the pressure off of others and ourselves if we begin to shift the focus to our own character development instead of creating character fantasies that others may not even want to develop. I recommend that we strive to become what we expect in others and then truly we can say with compassion, “It Takes One To Know One”.

Remember…Sister U Matter!®