What are you seeing in these things that is the same? A characteristic? A behaviour? A story?
On a recent trip back from London, whilst gazing out of the window at the countryside whizzing past, I was reflecting on a conversation I'd just had (that sounded very much like a conversation I'd had before), and I suddenly remembered the long period of time that I had had double vision. During this time, when people asked how I coped, I would describe this to others as the fact that you can look outside of a window and ignore the reflection on the glass, focusing only on the beauty beyond. During those two years I was able to choose what I was focusing on...just as we all can, when we look out of a window.
So back to the conversation that I felt I had had before, yet in a different time, place and with someone completely different. 'Perception is projection' is an idea that stems from Carl Jung, the Swiss Psychologist, and in a nutshell means, what we see in others is a reflection of ourselves, and what you perceive in others is what you are putting out there (projecting)...which then becomes your reality.
So think about this - what if, when we look at others, what we are seeing is actually a reflection of us and we are not allowing ourselves to notice the beauty in them; the frustrated boss, the jobs that are not letting us reach our full potential, the unhappy co-workers, the untrustworthy partners, the lack of commitment in a relationship, the 'not enough' mentality around money, or the insecure friends. What if what you see, feel or hear... is actually you, and you are not allowing yourself to notice the beauty in you? Whoah!
It is certainly a reality that you can choose what you focus on, and when you see things in others that you don't like, just take a moment to check in with yourself - is it really them you are seeing, or a reflection of yourself?
Be brave, be beautiful