We all have that one friend that drives us a little crazy. Okay, two friends. And a sister. Sometimes we can’t handle who they are or what they believe in. But if we learn to try, we’ll discover that living in harmony and with them is far more enjoyable than living out of sync and against them.

To learn how to accept others just the way they are, try these tips:

We All Look at the World Differently

I’ll be the first to tell you that the election for President in the United States was not a subject I was keen on discussing. For the first time in my life, I saw pain and anger like never before. But to learn that my very best friend was a supporter of the person I was not supporting, was shocking. But only for a moment, because:

She has her voice, I have mine.
She has her opinion, I have mine.
Her opinion is not wrong, mine is not wrong.

Everyone looks at the world through a different lens. At the core, we are still all the same. When we can give people permission to have their own view and respect it at the same time, that’s when we discover true harmony in our relationships.

Look for the Positives

We live in a world where the negative and scary things are highlighted. This cultural phenomenon tens to have us looking at the people we love the same way.

Love is unconditional. In our relationships, putting conditions on others means that we’re focusing on the negative things about them and not the positives.

Take a mental inventory of your friend or loved one. Think of all the positive things they’ve done. Focus on those things. You’ll see a different person when you do.

Put Yourself in Their Shoes

If you’re looking at a friend with criticism and judgment, stop and reverse the situation. What if they were criticizing and judging you? How would that make you feel?

We tend to reject or not accept someone’s beliefs or habits for one of two reasons:

1. Because we think that our way is the right way.

2. Because we are practicing projection, and therefore seeing something in others that is also within us.

If you really struggle with accepting one’s point of view, practice curiosity instead. Ask yourself, “What would living this way be like? How can I learn more about it?”

Acceptance of another takes practice. It also takes love. Remember with every relationship and every encounter that no two people are exactly the same. That’s what makes us unique. And who doesn’t want to experience the beauty and uniqueness of others?

Joleene Moody is a PositivityGuides writer and Robbins-Madanes interventionist, specializing in offering information that helps readers shift their mindset quickly in order to improve their lives.

See also:

How to be calm and confident
Test your mindset: quiz
Building more positivity