The Mirror of Irritation

The Mirror of Irritation is a principle that states: whenever I find something annoying in someone else, it’s a reflection of something within me.

This exercise is a way to explore such sources of irritation and uncover what part of ourselves they reflect.

Exercise

• Describe a situation in which you became irritated by someone.
• What is the key behavior or character trait that annoys you in this situation?
• Answer: “in what way am I like this?”
• Answer: “in what way don’t I allow myself to be like this?”
• Answer: “what would happen if I accepted this in myself or allowed myself to be more like this?”