Some people are difficult, and odds are you probably encounter them on occasion. Maybe you even have some you deal with frequently.
They are selfish, they push their weight around, and they think everything is about them. They are unwilling to help. They can be toxic to a cause, revengeful, adversarial, and they get pleasure from other people’s misfortune.
The general consensus when dealing with these people is to not deal with them. We resist all interaction and avoid them. Except sometimes we don’t have that option. These people play roles in our life and we need to maintain some sort of relationship with them.
What if we looked at that relationship as a challenge to rise?
Maybe this person is in your life to give you the opportunity to practice setting boundaries kindly but effectively. Maybe this person is teaching you who you don’t want to be, but also giving you a chance to become more of who you do want to be. Maybe they are there for you to practice empathy on someone totally different than yourself and to learn how to stand tall and use the power of love in the face of hostility.
These types of people provide countless opportunities to grow and learn. Every interaction gives us a chance to figure out our triggers and hot spots, and to find our weaknesses and use our strengths.
What if we embraced that these people are in our life to teach us. How could you leverage this lesson to its fullest potential to become better?