Everyone seems to be getting lessons in dealing with people who seem to not only disregard their needs but who do the exact opposite. What do you do with someone who appears to deliberately oppose your wishes, stand in your way and block your efforts?

Their behavior is not OK and they force you into a corner. Do you come out fighting or walk away? And how do you decide what is not OK and what to do after that? Any time we are faced with a situation where someone is not giving us what we want the answer to all of our questions lies within us. That person has so much wonderful, enlightening information for us that we can understand once we move away from the ‘this is not OK’ position.

Sure, their behavior may be wrong but why did we choose that experience with them and what do we have to learn from it? I have found, in many years of giving spiritual counseling, that our lessons in power are always presented in ways that make us feel powerless. What we do in that moment determines whether our next step is reconnecting to our power or holding our ground and demanding that the other person do what we want them to do.

While we would like to have a more moderate outcome, where we get out needs met and the other person sees the value in that, it isn’t always possible. And the longer we stay in that situation the more challenging it is for us. Our showdown then becomes a standoff, then we are standing still, further entrenched in our demands and blind to any other outcome. While we may think that the other person is just being stubborn, they are giving us valuable information and the first question we can ask is why we are making that particular demand of them.

And there is part of our answer because we generally choose the person who will not or cannot give us what we want (remember the lessons in power).  

Read the rest of the article on the blog at enlighteninglife.com 

Created, narrated, and produced by Jennifer Hoffman.

Artwork by Jennifer Hoffman.

Copyright (C) 2004-2025 by Jennifer Hoffman, all US and international rights reserved.

Visit enlighteninglife.com for more information.

Please note our policies regarding copyright infringement, content misuse, and theft of intellectual property. We prosecute all infringers and have a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY for abuse, infringement, misappropriation, and illegal use of our content. You can read our full Terms of Use at enlighteninglife.com

email [email protected] with questions