Not My Poo. Not My Problem.

What Dr. Wayne Dyer Taught Me About Emotional Sovereignty

Dr. Wayne Dyer was one of my earliest self-development mentors… though he would’ve had absolutely no idea.

I’ve listened to every audio version of every book he recorded at least once, and most of them many times. His voice was one of the first to accompany me on the path of self-inquiry and emotional awareness. And among all his teachings, there’s one quirky little metaphor that stuck with me.

It involves a bag.
Of dog poo.
(Stay with me.)

The way I remember it, he was talking about how we interact with other people’s emotional “stuff.”

He paints the picture: someone walks up to you and extends their arm, offering you a bag of... let’s say, something you’d really rather not hold.

Most of us, conditioned to be polite or people-pleasing or simply unaware, reflexively put out our hand and take it.
Because that’s what we’ve always done.
Because we don’t want to make a scene.
Because we think it’s our job to carry other people’s mess.

But here’s the truth he was pointing to:  You don’t have to accept what someone is offering.  Especially when it’s emotional garbage.

Just because someone’s handing you judgment, blame, guilt, or projection doesn’t mean you have to take it on.   Not energetically. Not emotionally. Not spiritually.

Let’s break this down into real-life moments of emotional intelligence:

• Someone criticizes your choices?
  You pause, ground yourself, and remember: That’s their discomfort. Not my truth.

• A loved one lashes out, trying to make you feel responsible for their feelings?
  You breathe and ask: Is this about me? Or something unresolved in them?

• A colleague dumps their stress on you like it’s a group project?
  You offer support without taking on the emotional load.

This isn’t about shutting people out or avoiding hard conversations.
It’s about recognizing what’s yours and what’s not.
It’s about choosing presence over reactivity.
It’s about reclaiming your energetic sovereignty.

Wayne Dyer’s little bag of dog poo wasn’t just a funny image.   It was an invitation to wake up.
To notice when someone’s trying to hand you their fear, their frustration, their unprocessed pain and to remember that you get to choose what you carry.

Your mindset.
Your response.
Your next steps.

Choose wisely.