There is one type of people that I truly dislike. Selfish people.! All about themselves!
The dictionary in my head describes a type of selfishness where a person is quick to accept a favour from you but would never offer to do anything in return.
Selfishness comes in many forms, but there is a point when it is acceptable, especially if someone is using you to their own advantage.
I have been blessed / cursed with a caring nature towards people genuinely in need of support, but I am also mindful of those who are just trying to take advantage of me.
Sometimes you put yourself out for others, even when you are suffering yourself, then one day, when you need them, they make sure they are unavailable.
A friendship or any kind of relationship should never become one-sided.
Okay, in all fairness, sometimes we cannot cope with a person when they are suffering.
All you need to do as a friend is quite simple.
BE THERE TO SIT WITH THEM. LISTEN & LET THEM SPEAK
RESPECT THE PAUSE. DON’T START MAKING COMPARISONS
IF THEY ARE AT A CRISIS, MAKE SUGGESTIONS TO CONNECT THEM TO PROFESSIONALS.
Selfish people are self-centred, and they will not even get as far as hearing what the other person is saying without interrupting them. They will base it all on their life experiences even if it has no relevance to the conversation.
In a normal conversation I would be the one to interrupt somebody if they are taking too long to get to the point.
The only time we should talk about our own experiences is if they ask us what we did to overcome the problem.
Trying to understand the nature of friendship and support can be hard especially on social media platforms.
Do people support and promote your work?
Guess what? Rarely. But they want you to promote their achievements.
I am happy to promote anyone who is genuine.
Moving on to manners and respect. Where has that gone?
When I was a young girl, men used to give their seat up for not only handicapped or old people but for women in general.
Nowadays I see big, healthy, grown men rushing to get a seat on the train. I guess they are made differently to the generation of boys I knew.
In the business world it is the norm to use people to better yourself. That is not so bad, until they actually try to destroy your reputation along the way because you did not give them the recognition they wanted.
With regards to selfishness and selflessness one has to be mindful of how much you do for a certain type of people.
In everything there must be a balance.
Natalie Bleau
The Scripture of Balance
