Lesson Overload

I learned alot this weekend. I learned about respect, jealousy, trust, loyalty and business. Respect is something that everyone wants but very few are willing to give.  Some people will do and say things to undercut you and attempt to embarrass you publicly, then apologize privately, expecting for you to forgive and act as if it never occurred.  Now that's absurd!  But you should forgive, so that you may go on with your life because harboring hate and resentment will only hold you back.  Just because you forgive a person doesn't mean you have to befriend them or associate with them, it just means you are over and pass the situation.  It also means that you're no longer allowing the situation and/or that person to affect you.
Now onto jealousy.  Jealousy is unexplainable. People will be jealous of you with out cause.  It's often self-inflicted and out of your control. A jealous person is a dangerous person because if given the opportunity, they will do things underhandledly to destroy you.  No matter how nice you are to them, they will still dislike you because you have something that they want. Unfortunately, family and friends usually make up the majority of this group.

Then there's trust.  Many people have trust issues because they've been burned by someone close to them, family, friend, lover, etc. So after having negative experiences, people tend to become skeptical of others.  Understand that trust is a two way street.  You must prove yourself trustworthy, in order to be trusted. Also, just as you may be skeptical of others, they are skeptical as you as well.  For those who trust EASILY, DON'T!!!  You should make it a requirement for someone to earn your trust and a place in your life.  Trust is invaluable.  Once it's given and broken, it changes your life.  So before giving someone such great power, investigate their history....do your research...listen to their conversation...and observe their behavior.  Unfortunately in this day and age, people aren't always who they proclaim to be, so be careful.

Next we have loyalty. Loyalty goes hand in hand with trust.  Most people who are trustworthy are also loyal. They stay true to their word and their allegiances.  I learned this weekend that alot of people pretend to be a "friend."  However, they are only associating with you for what they can gain and given the opportunity, they'll switch out on you in a heartbeat.  Yes, it's disheartening when it happens, but understand that in every situation there's a lesson.  The best thing to do is shake it off, learn from it and move on.

And last but not least, there's business.  People will do alot of trifling things in the name of business. "Nothing personal, it's just business." Now don't get me wrong, business should never be mixed with personal, BUT you should not have shiesty dealings and use "it's just business" as an excuse.  Otherwise, it's bad business. Secondly, if you are in business with someone else, it's called a PARTNERSHIP.  This means that MORE than one person makes the decisions. You should never make decisions without consulting with your partner.  And if you feel that you do not need to consult your partner, then you should be a sole proprietor (in business by yourself). 

These are the lessons I learned. Some of them were just reinforced, but I thought I'd share them with you all. Happy Martin Luther King Day :)
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