“Don’t confuse “familiar” with “acceptable”. Toxic relationships can fool you like that.” – Steve Maraboli, Speaker, Author, Athlete, Veteran
Wisdom and Courage: to know when to act differently, and then to do so.
This may sound obvious, but is this how you actually respond when the situation demands it? Do you instead remain trapped in your own “personal hell”?
“Better the devil you know.” A troubling truth: we often cling to the very problems that hold us back.
Disappointing managers. Difficult colleagues. Unfulfilling roles. This is how the familiar becomesl acceptable.
You’ve grown accustomed to that disappointing rapport with your manager, but why do you accept it?
You find your colleague’s behavior hard to bear, so why do you tolerate it?
You feel increasingly demotivated in your current role and yet you keep showing up every day.
Toxic relationships don’t have to be visibly abusive. Toxic relationships are not just difficult; they are the ones that wound you. They erode your morale. They damage your prospects.
Let me ask you: “Do you have a relationship at work which you know is holding you back?”
We can’t choose our colleagues like we can our friends.
Some we can ignore but what if the person you struggle with is your manager, a key project member, or a crucial client? What’s the cost of accepting these familiar, yet toxic, relationships?
Your career stalls. Your productivity plunges. Your reputation erodes. Talented staff resign.
Your confidence dips. Your partner worries.
You lose sleep. You lose that salary increase. Slowly, you lose control over a significant part of your life.
“It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.” — Gabriel García Márquez
Does that ring a bell?