5 Types of People to Avoid and Surround Yourself with

Because you cannot live in this vast world alone, you definitely need to learn how to live with people. A life coach would help you with that. But on top of living with them, you need to know who to and who not to include in your list of friends. This article explains the five people you should avoid and five people you should associate with in life.

Five Types of People to Avoid:

1. Sympathizers

These people will cry with you during a crisis and show you all the sympathy in the world, but they will not do anything to help you out of the crisis. Instead of sympathizers, better have empathizers in your life. The latter group will try to understand your situation, advise you on how to get out of it and empower you to move forward.

2. Haters

This term has been misused by many people to the point of losing meaning, but you need to take it seriously. Not everyone who disagrees with you is a hater, but all haters will always disagree with you and attempt to shoot your ideas down. Haters will be pained by your success and talk will about you behind your back. Learning how to identify them and keep them at bay is a very important skill.

3. Manipulators

These people will pretend to be friends with you, except that they aren’t. They associate closely with you so that they can learn many things about you and your life: what makes you happy, who you love, your fears, and your career goals. But they don’t do that in order to support you. They use that information as leverage over you. Their goal is to get unwarranted favors from you.

4. Gossipers

If you hang around gossipers, you are likely to become one. Of course, sometimes it feels good to listen to gossip and gossip about other people, but you should always do it with moderation. If gossiping is taking too much of your time, then it is becoming chronic and out to be cut out ASAP. What’s more, your gossip buddies will be the same people who will gossip and spread falsehood against you in your absence.

5. Conservative thinkers

The world is evolving too fast and as such, you need to be a fast thinker to cope up. Hanging around conservative and rigid thinkers operate with a closed mindset that things must be done in a certain old school way otherwise they will fail. They believe that you must lead a given lifestyle, eat a fixed diet, and even support the same old political and societal views. Avoid such people and be open-minded.

Five Types of People to Surround Yourself With:

1. The mentor

That friend who keeps pointing out your strengths and encouraging you to pursue them is worth keeping. Such a friend will call you back to order when you lose your path, but he will do it respectfully and with love. Such a friend is knowledgeable and doesn’t shy away from sharing his experiences with you.

2. The passionate

These are people who put their minds and souls into whatever they decide on pursuing, and they don’t give up no matter what. They see life as a gift worth living to the fullest. They see their careers as a God-given opportunity to make the world a better place. They don’t shy from loving the right people and sacrificing for the good. If you hang around them, you will become equally passionate.

3. The Listeners

Sometimes all you need is someone to listen to you without judging you, without gossiping about you. These people will not try to change you or instill their views in you. As much as they disagree with you, they will patiently listen to your rants, drama, legitimate fears, and what a view without disrupting you. In the end, after pouring your heart out, you are able to relax and reflect back on what was angering you, this time with utmost sobriety.

4. The grateful

These are people who live in the moment and appreciate what they have, no matter how little. They appreciate nature, value your friendship no matter how disoriented it may look, love their families unconditionally, and generally enjoy life at all times. Grateful people never stress over non-issues. This grateful attitude is infectious, so within no time you also become like them.

5. The comedian

Life isn’t that serious. You need someone who can lighten up even the darkest situations. Someone who will even make you laugh at your ideas and actions. Someone who uses sarcasm and humor to drive serious points home.