Judgmental

It is important not to be judgmental in life, although the word judgmental can also have positive implications, for the most part it is looked upon as a negative one. That’s the kind you don’t want. Things happen in our live, how we perceive those is a different story and that’s where being judgmental comes in. So what exactly does it mean if someone says you are judgmental? Being judgmental means that you judge the beliefs, opinions and actions of others in a negative or condescending way without it being based on any actual fact it is purely based on your personal opinion. Here is a scenario where how you perceive things, or what you believe makes you either judgmental in a positive way or judgmental in a negative way: You read in the newspaper that a man went into a local bar and shot three innocent people and killed them. The cops arrest him and he goes to jail. Is this man a bad person, or were his actions bad? Can you see the difference?
Your mind does what it is conditioned to do, so changing a negative behavior like being judgmental, and again I mean when you are being judgmental in a negative way, will take a conscious effort. But it can be done. Awareness is the first place to start. Stop, think and then “speak”. Make sure that your responses are based on fact and not just simply a reaction to a situation or in the heat of the moment. If you continue to do a “self check” over time your brain will be trained and you will go from being judgmental in a negative way, to living life without judgment.
There has been times when I have faced with being judgemental, for example one of my friends kept saying mean things about her godfather and I would tag along and make mean comments even though I didnt know this person. Later on I felt guilty about this and I finally met her godfather, and he was a very nice person. I felt bad about judging on him and I apologized to him and he appreciated it. The difference that it made was the fact that we actually got along really well. I learned that you are not to judge a person until you have met them.