There are people who don’t follow the rules of being a good person.
The bullies, the manipulators, the ego driven, and the greedy.
It’s best to learn how to spot them quickly and not invest time with them in order to not fall into their games, but occasionally we miss the signals.
The goal isn’t to get good at dealing with difficult people, the goal is to surround yourself with people who help you rise.
Before I knew the signs indicating who was a difficult person I had several interactions with them.
My response was to shrink.
I falsely believed that if I wasn’t doing the bad behaviour I remained innocent.
I saw my son doing this same thing and a lightbulb finally went on in my head.
All of a sudden I deeply understood that when you aren’t part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
When you allow a bully to make the rules and they aren’t fair, but you follow them anyway, you are part of the problem.
When you allow a greedy person to grab everything and it’s robbing you or someone else, you are part of the problem.
If you don’t stand up for what is right, you are giving permission for what’s wrong to happen.
At work, at play, and in the arena of life… doing nothing is a choice… and it’s one I’ve made far too many times because I didn’t want to be forced to stand up.
Doing the right thing is also a choice.
“It turns out that if you have the power to make rules, the rules are your responsibility. If you have the freedom to make choices, the choices are your responsibility. And if you have the ability to change the culture, to connect with others, to make a ruckus, then yes, what you do with that is your responsibility as well.” – Seth Godin