Are you struggling to understand how to be less judgmental of others? Do you find yourself judging your family, peers, or superiors, even when you don’t mean to do it?
Do you find yourself passing judgment on family, peers, or superiors?
As a motivational speaker, life coach, and keynote speaker, it’s my goal to help people attain lives of significance. I do this by teaching about the 12 Laws I’ve created and written about in The Art of Significance.
If you review the previous eight laws, you’ll know that significance is about:
- obeying our conscience and the laws of a higher authority
- persevering
- stretching ourselves
- trusting
- learning the whole truth
- cultivating a winning attitude
- doing what’s right
- living harmoniously
Another huge aspect of achieving significance comes from our judgment – how we interpret others and their actions.
Here’s How to be Less Judgmental of Others
To achieve significance, be cautious with your judgment. Accept others (and yourself, for that matter) for who they are at that moment.
You have to practice having a nonjudgmental mindset.
We are all different—biologically, culturally, ethnically, religiously. Each of us has become who we are due to our individual experiences in life.
We also all grow and change at different paces.
One way of life is no better or worse than another way of life. We all change and grow at our own pace, which is why judgment has no place in our lives.
Significant people go beyond tolerance to attain and express true, deep, mindful acceptance of others and themselves, just as they are
Our essence resides in our differences
Difference is the essence of humanity. Our unique characteristics and differences should never be the source of hatred or conflict.
Significant people reach the greatest heights because they welcome and value uniqueness and difference.
Significant people are grounded in a deep acceptance of their authentic selves, which allows them to stretch further, learn more, and avoid the pitfalls of resentment and anger.
They have become the best they can be by allowing others to be who they are.
Their ability to be nonjudgmental enables them to stretch, inspire, teach, and lead others in a way that leaves a lasting legacy.
Authenticity entails active self-acceptance
We must work to become authentic beings if we hope to practice genuine, deep acceptance.
This means being honest, being present in the moment, making ourselves open and vulnerable, and experiencing a life filled with perseverance, self-discipline, and self-love.
Above all, authenticity entails active self-acceptance. It requires daily demonstrations of a willingness to own everything about us that makes us unique and special in the world, including our imperfections and limitations.
Authenticity allows us to serve as effective teachers and coaches because the more authentic we are, the more we can set a powerful and positive example for others to follow.
Significant individuals are authentic people who empathize, forgive, and teach rather than judge and punish.
Most importantly, significant individuals encourage others to grow because they continuously grow and work on themselves.
4 Suggested Action Steps on How to Be Less Judgmental of Others
1. Volunteer
Visit a homeless shelter or soup kitchen in your area and volunteer to serve those in need. By hearing the stories of the underserved, you will begin to learn to accept the unfortunate instead of judging them.
2. See the good
Psychologists regard receiving attention as the number one motivator of human performance, whether bad or good.
If we can’t get attention for doing something good, we’ll seek attention for doing something bad. So, don’t hold negative behavior against someone.
If you discipline yourself to catch others doing something right and reinforce the behaviors you want them to repeat, their behavior will improve and meet the organization’s standards.
Begin with only one person, and continue one person, one moment, at a time.
3. Practice emotional discipline
For one whole day, and then one full week, refuse to honk your horn at another driver for doing something stupid (we’ve all done that at some point!).
Refuse to yell at anyone at home or at work who angers or disappoints you.
Refuse to walk by a homeless person without giving them a dollar with an encouraging word.
Then continue this— for the rest of your life!
4. Write three notes a day
Write one note a day to a family member, a neighbor, and a coworker –that’s three total notes per day—that simply thanks them for who they are, for their example and friendship, and for what they do to make you a better person.
Start with familiar relationships, but then reach out to those different from you, whom you still admire and respect. We cannot reread a telephone conversation, and a text or an e-mail is too impersonal. A note in your handwriting is a precious gift they will never throw away!
If you start with these four actions, you’ll find yourself leading a life of significance without judgment.
Do you want to explore more about how to be less judgmental of others? I’ve shared more in my book, The Art of Significance.
Would you like to take your leadership to the next level? Contact me, and we’ll start on the journey together, whether it’s leadership training or executive coaching. I will meet you where you are, and we’ll walk together.
This content is from Dan’s Best Selling Book: The Art of Significance – Achieving The Level Beyond Success, which brings people on a transformative journey to achieve a level of success that helps them chart a course beyond money and fame.
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