A core power you hold is to choose, at any given moment, the response you will give to anything that comes at you.

• Silence is a response.
• ‘No’ is a response.
• An explanation is a response.
• A clarifying question is a response.
• A judgment is a response.
• Mean words are a response.

Taking on another’s unkindness is a response. Handing another’s unkindness back to them with grace is a response. Swearing at someone is a response.

The response is your choice – your power – and designing responses with awareness keeps you safer from offense. Say what you need to say and move on.

When you respond unconsciously, e.g., taking offense, you design your own suffering.

Play a different role by actively and interactively designing your responses.

Feeling offended is a choice you make. Choosing not to is a power you hold.

Play a role other than the offended.