Maya Angelou said “When someone shows you who they are believe them the first time”.
Most of us at some point, if not currently, find ourselves dealing with people that we shouldn’t allow to take up time and space in our lives. People we can choose to deny access to our space, but most of the time we deal with them out of a false sense of loyalty, an attempt to keep the peace for the sake of others, to keep a job or career, fear, and other things. But why? Why do we allow people to deny us peace of mind, and in more extreme cases, safety? Because we choose to.
We choose to go to the family get together. And we know that that one uncle, cousin, grandparent, or whoever will be there causing an uncomfortable and tense environment for everyone else. But we go because family is everything, or it’s only once or twice a year, or maybe we don’t want to get written out of the will. Whatever the reason, we are choosing to put ourselves in the presence of people who actively attempt to tear us down; by bringing up past transgressions, comparing you to more or less successful family members, or general passive-aggressive behavior. It’s so normal we accept it as something we just have to deal with.
" Why do we allow people to deny us peace of mind, and in more extreme cases, safety? Because we choose to."