Think about that one client or coworker that drives you crazy. You know, the super annoying one. Grab a piece of paper and make two columns. On the left side list their quirky traits that bug you. What about them is so hard to get along with? On the right side list things they should be doing that would make them happier and easier to work with.

Now for the hard part. Cross their name off the top of the list and write in your own.

If you are honest with yourself, you will find that the things that annoy you in other people are traits that you actually exhibit. It’s not so much that we see the faults in others as it is that we see our own faults when we look at other people.

In Shakespeare’s Julius Ceaser, Cassius says, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” He’s talking about how we create our own destiny.