You Spot It, You've Got It

By Martha Beck
Martha Beck
My friend is lazy, willful, and self-absorbed. Wait—could that actually be me I'm talking about?

"There are two kinds of people I can't stand," says Michael Caine's character in the epically low comedy Goldmember, "those who are intolerant of other cultures, and the Dutch." I love this line because it slams hypocrisy—specifically, the baffling double standards of people who condemn in others the very offenses they themselves are committing. My fellow life coach Sharon Lamm calls this the "you spot it, you got it" syndrome. In other words, whatever we criticize most harshly in others may be a hallmark of our own psyche; what I hate most in you may actually be what I hate most in me.

This style of thinking is so illogical, you'd think it would be rare. Because of the peculiarities of human psychology, though, it's actually more the rule than the exception. Understanding the "you spot it, you got it" phenomenon requires some focused thinking, but the effort will bring more peace and sanity to your relationships and your inner life.