Burning the RIGHT bridges

I'm currently reading a book titled The Greatest You by Trent Shelton. I’m on page 81 in the book and it’s very insightful. I’ve never heard of this author before, but I saw his book on the shelf in Barnes & Nobles in Macon, Georgia last year while with my college roommate.  

Long story short, I'm in the chapter where he writes about burning the right bridges. And I think this is an interesting viewpoint because there are a lot of people in our lives who are negative, don’t add value, and look to gain from you at every waking moment.  

Unfortunately, there are people out there who fall prey to these individuals because of their generous heart.  

So you might be wondering why am I talking about this? The answer is simple:  Most schools of thought will tell you when you run into these ‘energy drainers’ run away fast. But, what happens when these energy drainers are spouses, children, supervisors, and/or clients? You become an energy transformer.  

I know this sounds like a lot of work. And I definitely don’t suggest being around these types of people for any significant amount of time, if you can help it. However, what I am saying is that you can’t constantly be around positive, optimistic and giving people all of time. Life just don’t work that way.  

What you can do is become a source of conversion for the negative energy. Not trying to change the person but change the atmosphere in the room. Find ways to redirect the conversation to solutions rather than problems.  

I found that one of three things happens when being a transformer: (1) the negative person gets on board with the program; (2) they get annoyed to find a way to not deal with you anymore, or (3) they become jealous of your energy. I think the first two can be dealt with easily.  

The first response is great for both of you. You are finally moving in the right direction and getting things accomplished. The second response is a good one, but if you are on a team together, you still must find a way to work together to complete projects. The third response is something I despise. However, you must deal with it. You essentially must find a way to operate without them intentionally sabotaging your projects. Easier said than done, I know. But, if you recognize it, you have a better chance of heading off any potential issues down the road.  

~ Attorney Ronnie O’Brien Rice  









Location: South Africa

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to handle your divorce?

Going through a divorce is never an easy process to initiate. I’ve been through one. You make a vow to stick with someone for the rest of your life. And then all of sudden, you find yourself arguing everyday and totally loathing the presence of the person.  So I’m writing this blog post to hopefully help others who are thinking about going through this process; or those who have started the process already.   I handle a few divorce cases and I’ve learned prearranged agreement is always better. I think too many times spouses are wanting to get the most out of a divorce. But, in the process they drain their personal finances. People see a lot of high-net-worth individuals on social media and television getting divorces. You see the ridiculous amounts of money for child support and alimony.  However, in everyday life, people don’t have access to millions of dollars and multibillion dollar companies.  With that being said, my encouragement a lawyer is to make sure you to work out an agreem
Read more

Forgive yourself. Allow yourself to succeed.

Image
From Will Smith's fourth single "Just the two of Us" A great actor, motivator and lyricist:  Will Smith As I’ve been pondering about my life, my travels and the people I’ve met, I realized that I made a lot of bad choices and/or mistakes. However, I think what has allowed me to succeed in spite of my downfalls is the ability to look towards the future and forgive myself. There is no way to ‘right’ your every ‘wrong’:  (1) it could be very time consuming; and (2) it takes you away from the things you could be doing in the present. A major reason for people not succeeding in their own desired capacities is because they are either stuck in the past or living in the future. On one hand, you want to remember the past and learn from your mistakes. On the other hand, you want to have goals and continuously strive to meet those goals. As a person who has done both and some time struggle to balance those behaviors, it is extremely important to be well balanc
Read more

When a founder leaves from a legal perspective?

In a world of venture capitalism, tech company selling, and Shark Tank; it is important to make sure that the transition is done well legally.  Not too many founders and/or acquiring companies think the transitioning through regarding a founder leaving the company. When the founder of a business leaves, there are several legal considerations to keep in mind in order to keep the business going.   And when we mean keeping the business going, we are taking about growth. As we all know, that if you aren’t growing, you are dying. Succession Planning: Having a plan in place for when the founder leaves can help ensure a smooth transition and minimize disruption to the business. This may include designating a successor, creating a buy-sell agreement, or establishing a board of directors. Review of Contracts: Make sure to review any contracts that the founder was party to and determine if there are any provisions that may be affected by their departure.   Not too many times do companies t
Read more