Self-Improvement

Do you have anyone in your life who (occasionally or frequently) loves to vent their frustrations in your direction?

Are you often the provider of a sympathetic ear or a shoulder to cry on?

At times these can be valuable roles to play. I think it’s well and good to be sympathetic and understanding when you can — if you’re truly helping the other person.

By Barrie Davenport: how to personally develop yourself?

It’s nice to have people to turn to that can bring us back up when we feel beat up by circumstances. Being able to share our sorrows and frustrations helps us process them, learn from them, and release them. We may even see the humor in such situations and laugh at them.

On the other hand, some people get so stuck in negative thinking that venting becomes much more than a temporary steam valve. Instead it becomes their default strategy for connecting and getting attention.

Do you know anyone like that? If so, why are you maintaining that relationship? Why are you allowing such negativity in your life?

Is your investment in this relationship actually helping? Is the other person showing good progress along a positive path — and appreciative of your help? Are you being an effective mentor in helping this person move beyond their temporary period of funk? Can you point out all the positive signs of progress you’ve made together in your relationship during the past quarter? Would an objective third-party observer report, “I can see that your help and assistance are really paying off”?

If you’re not really helping, what are you doing? Why are you on the receiving end of repeated venting from someone who isn’t taking responsibility to improve their situation? Why are you wasting your precious time with someone who’d rather whine than grow and improve?

To know more about this topic click here. By Steve Pavlina.