Here is a little bit of instruction for a small but highly visible segment of the population.

The following is equally applicable to personal and business relationships.

When your relationship with someone ends on bad terms, keep your mouth shut.  Don’t talk about them at all.  As difficult as it is to sit tight and be patient, just removing them from your consciousness has much more far-reaching and long-lasting effects than getting into drama and gossip.

When you start talking shit, especially if there’s any vitriol to the flavor of the words you choose, eventually your version of the story gets retold to the other parties involved.  Those other parties then set the record straight and you end up looking like an idiot.  People’s perception of you is now affected by those other parties’ experience of you, and your name is tainted.

In my experience, all one has in this life to get anywhere is one’s name and one’s reputation.  Work at building a reputation for excellence at your chosen craft and set the rest on a boat to nowhere.  Don’t build yourself a sad-sack, victim, hard luck story.  Even if they agree with you, people won’t take you seriously.

Tags: talking shit