Sweetening a Sour Apple

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Sweetening a Sour Apple

When a Bad Apple Spoils the Bunch

by Madisyn

When dealing with negative people we can choose not to respond to their

behavior and allow our positive behavior be an example.

Because life requires that we interact with different personalities, it is

not uncommon for us to encounter a situation where there is one person whose

behavior may negatively impact the experiences of others. Someone who is

loud and crass can interrupt the serenity of those who come together to

practice peace. A disruptive worker can cause rules to be imposed that

affect their colleagues' professional lives. A team member who is

pessimistic or highly critical may destroy the morale of their fellow

members. And one " bad apple " in your personal life can be a potent

distraction that makes it difficult to focus on the blessings you've been

given and the people who love you.

There may always be people in your life who take it upon themselves to

create disruption, foster chaos, stamp out hope, and act as if they are

above reproach - even when, in doing so, they put a blight on their own

experiences. But you don't need to allow their negativity and callousness to

sour your good mood. Often, our first impulse upon coming head-to-head with

a bad apple is to express our anger and frustration in no uncertain terms.

However, bad apples only have the power to turn our lives sour if we let

them.

If you can exercise patience and choose not to respond to their words or

actions, you will significantly limit the effect they are able to have on

you and your environment. You can also attempt to encourage a bad apple to

change their behavior by letting your good behavior stand as an example. If

your bad apple is simply hoping to attract notice, they may come to realize

that receiving positive attention is much more satisfying than making a

negative impression. While you may be tempted to simply disassociate

yourself entirely from a bad apple, consider why they might be inclined to

cause disturbances. Understanding their motivation can help you see that bad

apples are not necessarily bad people. Though bad apples are a fact of life,

minimizing the impact you allow them to have upon you is empowering because

you are not letting anyone else affect the quality of your experiences. You

may discover that buried at the very heart of a bad apple is a seed of

goodness.

'People will forget what you said...

People will forget what you did....

But people will NEVER forget how you made them feel.'

~Hugs, Sugar