Here Are The Four Realities of People
Some people are good and some people are not.
I’m all for looking for the best in people. Nothing is less productive and self-limiting than expecting the absolute worst from everyone you interact with. It isn’t healthy, it isn’t functional, and it definitely isn’t the best way to make friends/networks/connections.
Unfortunately, over time, I’ve also learned a couple things about the nature of people. No, not everyone sucks, but some do. Some people just aren’t easy to deal with, and it’s your job to be able to identify these cases and know how to deal with them. Acting like everyone is going to be nice and genuine with you all the time is just unrealistic optimism. You’ve got to always have some sort of guard up. Some may call this intuition, some may call it awareness, I call it nonsense radar.
People Won’t Always Have Common Sense
Not everyone will make the best decisions. Some people will just not understand how to cross the street, how to be on time, or how to talk without glaring at their phone every five seconds. I’ve found common sense to be a rarity these days, and according to people much older than me, that isn’t a new thing. Those little things that you find self-explanatory and common knowledge are nothing but gibberish to some.
People Will Try To Act Smarter Than You
They say the most intelligent know how and when to keep their mouth shut, and sometimes that just doesn’t work in your favor. No matter what you know, how much you know, or how much experience you have, there will always be those people that are quick to dismiss your knowledge to try to show you up.
Have you ever walked into a gym to hear that “broscience” conversation? It’s hilarious to hear, but painful to watch when a bro tries to correct someone else. I’ve had people with awful form and no formal education on the material try to correct me on what I’m doing, and then had the pleasure to hear them spit out absolutely faulty reasoning for what they’re saying.
People Will Use You
Not everyone has your best interests at heart, and not everyone enjoys spending time with you because they love your quirky personality. Sadly, if you’re not careful, you can get caught in some sticky situations and fake friendships with people that want something out of you. It could be your money, your apartment, your connections, or what ever else it is that they may want, but it can happen (and probably already has once or twice).
People Will Envy Your Success
Not everyone has the same work ethic, not everyone has the same level of motivation, and people that don’t see the same success as those who do possess those qualities will not always commend them for it. Rather, they’ll hate. They’ll bash. They’ll make up excuses for as to why someone is doing better than them, as if everyone else has a rich uncle or a pre-set network of job opportunities. You’ll sometimes be made to feel bad for doing well and it’s horrible. Sadly, people just can’t stand to see others climb higher than them, even if they aren’t working to 50% of your efforts.
What You Can Do
Realize that people have absolutely no influence on your life. You can’t let stupidity, ignorance, or jealously affect how you progress through your day. Yeah, people can be annoying, and they may bring you down from time to time. Hell, some just may make you lose all faith in humanity. Your job is to ignore it. Tune it out, use your brain, and selectively listen to your own thoughts and the opinions of those that actually have something beneficial to say.
