Bad People Can Muck Up Your Life!

When it comes to important life skills being able to read people rates right up near the top. The ability or knack of being able to avoid those who will by merely being around you bring you down can not be underestimated. I'm not trying to sound negative, but my experience has been these people are everywhere and many of them are dressed as professionals.  The attorney or lawyer who gets you involved in costly litigation, the real-estate agent who puts getting a commission before your best interest, or even the very likable but incompetent investment advisor that wants to become your new "bestie."

One way to sharpen intuitive skills and help you determine who you should allow into your inner circle is through understanding meta-talk. This entails learning to read body language and several verbal signs or signals. Poker players use this idea to help determine the quality of the hand an opponent holds. In life when a person constantly tells you they "are as honest as the day is long" I have found it to be a good time to cover my pockets. Much truth can be found in the quote "The lady doth protest to much" a quotation from Hamlet by William Shakespeare. It has been used as a figure of speech to describe someone's too frequent attempts to convince others of some matter of which the opposite is true

It Is Better To Be Safe Than Sorry!

In a book by Robert Ringer published years ago the author warned to "stay away" from these people. He then gave a slew of examples of how they will drain both your energy and complicate your very existence. Most of us have at one time or another seen a person approaching from a distance and ran to hide, this includes avoiding phone calls or any contact with those who bring us down emotionally. Unfortunately, bad people come in many forms and are often disguised in ways that make them difficult to recognize. We all have been warned of the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing. 

Muck is a noun that means; dirt, rubbish, or waste matter. Synonyms include, dirt, grime, filth, mud, slime, mess, crud, and gunk. When used as a verb in an informal way such as (muck up) it can refer to mishandling a job or situation or to spoil something such as an opportunity. A British used term; to (muck out) refers to removing manure and other dirt from a horse's stable or other animal dwelling. From the definition of muck it is clearly something most of us would like to avoid or at least control in our lives.

Several varieties of "bad people" exist some busy scheming, others busying themselves with wasting your time. Stripping away all the facades of society it is important to understand time-wasters fall into this category known as "bad people" or those you should avoid. If someone does not value their own time they usually are of the opinion that yours is also of little value. Another problem is the person who comes around, but never adds anything new or useful to the conversation and after they leave you often find they have taken with them a big part of your day.

One type of time-waster that is often difficult to identify is the person who is relatively competent and works their way into a position where they bring everything to a halt. These people tend to making an art of  looking busy and productive while accomplishing little. When a time-waster is put in charge they become a chief roadblock to progress. Big talkers that never get anything done and break promise after promise can also gunk up your life if you allow yourself to get sucked into their fantasies and plans. Politicians can fall into this sector promising change and good while in reality they are often just trying to squelch their lust for power. The world is full of these self serving public servants that once in office they quickly forget the pledges they have made.

I'm most fortunate that when my bad people radar fails me and a person of questionable moral fiber or possessing ulterior motives slips by I have someone I trust that has my back. For the longest time I have been a strong believer that dealing with people of questionable character in either business or in your personal life will come back to haunt you. Life tends to be tough enough without such complications. The amount of damage, pain, and hurt one of these people can interject into your life in a rather short time is surprising. Over the long term such relationships are toxic.



Footnote; A few weeks ago I published a piece concerning another important life-skill, it centered on the art of negotiating. Life is a giant negotiation where we constantly bargain with people in an effort to reach our goals. The simple truth is that for the average person learning to be an astute negotiator is the best way to increase their ability to get what they want. More on this life changing skill in the article below.
http://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2016/03/negotiation-skills-must-not-to-be.html