tox·ic – involving something poisonous
Just how important is the quality of people in your life? Consider quotes such as:
• “You are known by the company you keep.”
• “One bad apple spoils the whole bunch.”
• “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm.” -Solomon
For much of my life, I have resisted quotes like these. But, after walking through more than my fair share of toxic relationships, I have an affinity for these words to the wise and added motivation to live by them. There’s no getting around it – toxic people are everywhere. We encounter them personally and professionally. They’re in the boardroom, at family gatherings, in our social circles and on volunteer committees.
• Victim – People who are never happy with life. They complain to you and blame others.
• Energy Vampire –Co-dependents drain you with their unending needs and issues.
• Control Freak – They have to be right, question your motives and challenge your authority.
• Gossip – Two-faced people talk about others and keep relationships at the surface.
• Bully – People who use intimidation or manipulation to get what they want.
This principle of avoiding toxic people has become increasingly clear to me as I have coached literlally 100′s of people over the past 10 years. The best policy is to avoid toxic relationships before they get started. If you don’t have that luxury, then end the ones you have before they get any worse. If you have one of those relationships that are impossible to extract, then do the next best thing – build healthy boundaries for yourself thus naturally limiting interaction.
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