This is a guest article contributed by Eva Wislow from Careers Booster.
People inspire you, or they drain you – so pick them wisely.
Success is not an accident or the product of pure luck. It happens to individuals who are always willing to improve as persons and professionals. They are goal-oriented and capable of detecting and solving problems.
At the same time, studies have proved that in 90% of the cases persons who set specific and challenging goals are more successful than those who aim at easy targets. Success is not an accident or the product of pure luck.
It happens to individuals who are always willing to improve as persons and professionals. They are goal-oriented and capable of detecting and solving problems.
At the same time, studies have proved that in 90% of the cases persons who set specific and challenging goals are more successful than those who aim at easy targets.
One of the most important goals of each successful person is to avoid people who are too difficult or boring to handle. Toxic personalities are always complaining or playing mind games with you, which makes you lose focus and neglect far more important things in life.
Prosperous people are aware of the fact that you are who you hang out with, so they tend to choose friends carefully. In this article, we will describe 8 types of harmful personalities that successful people should avoid.
8 Sorts Of People You Don’t Want Around You
There are many ways in which toxic personalities can slow you down but some of them really stand out. Here are the 8 most dangerous types in that regard.
Pessimists
It’s extremely difficult to become a successful businessman and build a career because modern industries are full of highly competitive peers. But it’s even more difficult to do it if you have a pessimist by your side.
If you know the person who always doubts your endeavors and doesn’t think that your business can grow, we have an advice for you – stay away from this individual.
This sort of people always looks at the dark side of life.
They see the glass half empty and never half full. In their opinion, each idea you have is destined to fail because there are so many elements which could go wrong.
This can have a truly devastating effect if you are seeing (and listening to) this person each day. Do your best to avoid such people. If you don’t, rest assured that it will start affecting you soon.
Egoists
It’s completely natural to consider yourself the center of the universe. You have but one life to live so it’s logical to take care of yourself and try to improve your personality.
You can’t look the world through someone else’s eyes. However, it’s awful to know the person who thinks of himself as the only person in the world. If you hang out with someone who cannot dedicate a single minute to hear what you want to say, it suggests that this person is not your friend.
Furthermore, this person will give you nothing but trouble while trying to reach personal goals. This kind of relationship is a one-way street: you get to hear all about these people but they don’t ever pay attention to what you want to say or the feelings you need to express. There is no YOU in this situation, only ME.
Elephant people
You know how people say that elephants never forget? Well, there are people who don’t forget as well. Even worse, they rarely ever forgive you for making even the smallest mistake.
It’s very difficult to explain how their minds actually work. It always seems like they are the only ones who don’t make mistakes while everybody else is doing completely the opposite. Or at least that’s how they perceive the world.
Needless to say, this can be a terrible burden for successful individuals. Persons who don’t forgive you for unintentional mistakes are essentially sadistic – they torture you by constantly reminding you what you’ve done wrong.
These are not the persons you want to see next to you all the time. They give you the feeling of guilt and you’ll never be able to relax in their company.
Victims
Some people behave like the funny cartoon character Calimero – they keep repeating: “Oh no, that’s not fair! That’s injustice!” This sort of person is convinced that there is a great conspiracy against them, which is basically the way to hide their shortcomings.
These underachievers blame others for personal failures and constantly seek for your help and attention.
This can cause you a lot of trouble because you are going to lose so much time solving other people’s problems instead of your own. It can slow you down and distract you from everyday duties.
In this case, you need to discuss the problem with the victim-friends. You need to explain to them that the adulthood is all about taking responsibility and handling obstacles. It would be better for both sides if the victim could start behaving maturely. But if it’s not possible, you should avoid this person.
Complainers
Some people will never prove that you’ve done something perfectly. They always complain and point out the flaws in your work or behavior. It’s not that they are serious professionals or perfectionists, it’s just that they are not able to sustain from making negative comments about everything.
It doesn’t have to concern you at all. It’s enough to listen to the complainers to make you nervous.
People like this are usually dissatisfied and they need the way to feel better. They find it in complaining – finding flaws in other people’s lives will make them feel less miserable.
And that’s not the way to keep a friend. If you want to be successful, you can’t afford yourself to hang out with so overwhelmingly displeased people.
Envious persons
Envious persons could never become good partners or friends. Or to put it correctly, they can if you are less successful than these individuals.
With these people, it’s all about making comparisons – who is more skilled, more beautiful, who earns more money, etc. And if you are better in any of these fields, they cannot truly like you.
If someone envies you, that person is not able to enjoy your success or willing to encourage you to continue giving your best.
Deep down, envious people can’t wait to see you fail. Even more, their envy sometimes makes them work directly against you.
Therefore, it’s not good to have this type of toxic personality beside you. They will force you to stay vigilant in their company, while all you need is a reliable friend.
Liars
Successful people don’t build careers on lies. The fact that prosperous individuals are goal-oriented and ambitious doesn’t suggest that they are willing to do anything it takes to achieve personal aims.
On the contrary, successful people are mostly open-minded, honest, and straightforward. They work hard to improve and they solve problems along the way.
Therefore, outstanding individuals don’t need liars to make their lives complicated.
Many colleagues or friends don’t tell the truth not because they want to harm you. Instead, they do it because they feel insecure or simply need to brag about something.
But it’s frustrating to play this game and sometimes it is almost impossible to find the way out of it. It takes too much time and efforts to investigate or question people to learn the truth. It’s not worth your time, so pay attention to keep the distance.
Antipodes
Every now and then you will meet a specific type of person who behaves almost like your own antipode. They simply have contrasting lifestyles, business habits, everyday rhythm, and way of thinking.
Individuals who are your opposites don’t really have to be toxic personalities but they still have the power to ruin your day. It’s basically a style issue. You like one thing, while antipodes enjoy something else. You propose one solution to the problem and they offer something completely different.
Persons who are so much different from you may seem interesting sometimes but they essentially give you nothing but a headache. Antipodes behave like a twisted version of yourself, with the sole mission to disprove everything you say or do.
Though it’s good to have a second opinion in many occasions, it’s definitely bad to constantly fight over what you know is correct.
Who Are Your Good Friends?
If you want to be productive and make a great career, you need a few friends and colleagues who will always be there to support you.
It’s mostly a matter of emotional intelligence, which in more than 70% of cases is a more important factor of success than IQ.
Therefore, you should listen to your heart and surround yourself with people who suit you the best. So, who are these people? Let’s see:
They support you – people who you hang out with most of the time should encourage you to improve and support you even if you fail occasionally.
They are not a burden – these persons are easy to deal with. They are not shallow or stupid but they understand that you don’t need someone to sit on your neck and put you down.
They constitute your comfort zone – good friends make you feel comfortable and relaxed. They are the ones who allow you to chill out and have some fun.
Conclusion
Successful persons know what’s best for them in all aspects of life. They know that great life achievements demand a lot of hard work, passion, and dedication. But they also know that they should avoid toxic personalities around them.
There are many reasons why you should avoid such individuals. We gave you an overview of the 8 most regressive persons who don’t really help you advance in personal or professional life.
On the contrary, all they do is burden you with small talk, mind games, and their own dissatisfaction. That’s why you should read this article carefully and keep in mind to stay away from these individuals as often as possible. It will set you free and give you more opportunities to achieve success.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Eva Wislow is a career coach and HR expert at Careers Booster cv writing service. She is focusing on helping people break down their limits, find a dream job and achieve life and career success. Follow Eva on Twitter.
