“Relationships: If you put up with it, you’re going to end up with it. Set the standard you want and don’t settle for less.” 

― Steve Maraboli

Be A Professional

In one of my previous jobs, I noticed one of my colleagues was toxic. He would often gossip and complain about the workplace including the following:

• Low pay
• Incompetent management
• Lack of professional growth

Not only was he not contributing to a positive culture, but his performance also was low as he was lazy, forgetful, lacked attention to detail, and careless.

He was living cancer to the team and organization.

Every time I spoke with him, I wanted to bite my tongue because most times the conversations were unrelated to work. And also deep down, I knew there was a chance that what I said could be used against me one day.

And that inevitable day came when I got an untitled meeting with the human resource department.

That’s when I found out that my colleague had reported me for saying something in one of our previous conversations five months ago.

This was obviously intentional retaliation.

That’s because during the year-end review, I provided constructive feedback about him to my manager.

After that incident, my trust in him vanished, along with the little respect I had for him.

This incident was my catalyst to look for a new job. And giving my utmost effort, I fortunately found a great opportunity within one month with the help of my powerful professional network.

In the new role, I got to work with others who are knowledgeable and passionate about their jobs. And simply being around those who perform at a high level, I naturally get pulled forward.

That’s because in order to fly high, I must surround myself with eagles, not pigeons in my previous role.

Surround Yourself With High Performers

To excel and be inspired to do your best, you must be around others who are performing at a high level. 

That’s because you are the average of the people you interact with the most.

You cannot expect to be a lion if you are spending time with cats.

And if you don’t have those people in your life, you must be proactive and create those relationships. This may mean changing your current environment.

That’s because instead of trying to change other people (or culture) around you, you can choose to switch surroundings that best fit your desires and needs.

In other words, you can always change who you select to be with.

This applies to all aspects of life.

You can practice brutal honesty and ask yourself:

• “If I truly love myself, would I stay in this situation?”
• “What would I choose to do?”

Start by taking complete responsibility for your life with the following:

1. Hold yourself accountable for your actions
2. Apologize when you are in the wrong
3. Take action to create your wanted outcomes

When you focus on your efforts and make adjustments when necessary listening to life’s feedback, you will eventually achieve your desired results.

Have Fun On the Journey

We live in a society that strongly emphasizes working hard and having high productivity. While there is a definite and necessary time for that, it is also important to enjoy the fruits of our labor and to be still.

Being able to have fun and enjoy the process is critical to sustainability on the lifelong journey of life.

Therefore, it’s paramount that you take time to recharge and focus on your passions outside of your job. This can create space and time for joyful activities which will in return allow you to be more excited and productive when you return to your projects for work.

And if your occupation is consistently unenjoyable nor meaningful, then you must asset your current lifestyle.

Perhaps you may need to revisit your values, take a step back to reflect, and/or not take yourself and life too seriously by being able to laugh at yourself.

Having a playful attitude, especially during difficult times, will make the journey more endurable.

Closing Thoughts

Life has many facets.

And how you show up in one aspect is typically how you will also handle others. 

That’s because your authentic core character is driving those behaviors.

When faced with a challenging situation in your personal life, treat it professionally by asking yourself:

“If this were a work situation, how would I handle it?”

And deep down, you already know the answer.

It requires taking personal responsibility for your actions. This may involve the following:

• Arriving on time
• Treating others with respect
• Having accountability for your actions
• Apologizing if in the wrong
• Taking corrective steps

And living powerfully, you will go far and attract others who also operate at this high standard.

I am on a mission to help 1,000,000 people, and I can’t do that without your help. Please share this article with anyone who you may think will find it valuable and helpful. Thank you very much! I greatly appreciate it!

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