Don't Take The Bait
- Oct 13, 2021
- 5 min read
Written by: Karin Glannstam, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
"Conflict cannot survive without your participation." - Wayne Dyer
Have you ever been fishing?
I remember when I was a child my parents had a vacation cottage in the country, next to a beautiful lake, in Sweden. Sometimes we would go fishing. As a kid I thought it was a lot of fun to go fishing, because the whole family did it together.
When you fish you start with a fishing pole and on the end of the line there is a hook. You bait the hook with a worm, toss it out in the water and wait for a fish to take the bait. Once the fish takes the bait and get hooked you pull the fish into the boat. Same thing in life. There are a lot of people in the world that like to pull us into their conflicts, drama, arguments and other crazy behavior. They too bait a hook and the they throw it out there to see who will take the bait first. Once someone is interested in the bait, they set the hook and reel it in. There are people that can't wait to stir up drama. In other words, they are trouble makers and they thrive on creating drama and trouble in other people's lives. They are trying to bait you. But you got to learn to recognize these types of people and make sure that you don't take the bait. If someone is rude to you, simply learn to ignore it. Don't get upset and don't allow these people to disturb your inner peace. Stay calm and continue to move forward on your own journey. There are no perfect people out there. We must give people room to be human. They are not going to be perfect all the time, and neither are we. Don't have unrealistic expectation because some people are not capable of doing what you want them to do, or be who you want them to be. Sometimes people will disappoint us, no matter how good they are. People are going to say hurtful things, and we must learn to not be so easily offended. Don't take things personally. Other people's behavior has nothing to do with you. It has everything to do with them. It will tell you who they are, not who you are. Don't allow other people to disturb your inner peace and don't depend on other people for your happiness. If someone says something hurtful to you, are you going to be unhappy for the rest of the day? Don't put the keys to you happiness in someone else's pocket. You are responsible for YOU and your own happiness. Don't put too much pressure on other people to make you happy, because then you might feel disappointed. Let these people off the hook. There are going to be a lot of bumps on our journey in life. It's normal to expect this. But it's up to us to not get too upset when it happens. Protect your own peace of mind. Don't allow the same things to upset you, day after day. Month after month and even year after year. Even if people are grumpy, critical, unfair, angry, jealous, mean, bitter and try to pull you into conflict and arguments, decide that you are going to have a great day. Keep on pursuing your dream. You can't control what other people are doing or saying. You can only control what you do and say. So shake of their bitterness, anger, envy and jealousy. If you are allowing people to upset you, bait you into conflict and joining them in their drama, you are giving away your power. You are actually letting them control you. Remain calm in the face of adversity. Don't allow them to ruin your day. Let's face it, there are some people that have the gift on getting on our nerves. It seems like some people have the calling in life to make other people miserable. But remember that you are in control of you. They can't make you feel a certain way without your consent. If you become angry or frustrated, it's a choice that you make. When people are rude, critical, angry, jealous they have issues that they are not dealing with. Sometimes they are like a poisonous snake. Make sure that they don't bite you and allow their poison to get into you. Don't start arguing with them. Don't allow them to get you upset. Don't take the bait. Rise above these people. Don't go down to their level. Try to be kind and respectful to these people, even when it's difficult. People will constantly try to offer you the bait. Next time it happens, just say..."No thanks, I am not taking the bait." Always be selective which battles you are going to get involved in. Will it somehow benefit you to get involved? If it's not between you and your destiny, I suggest that you don't get involved. Don't get involved in every conflict because it will drain your energy and then you won't have enough energy left for your own dream. Learn to walk away from distractions. Know what battles to fight. Fight the battles that matter and that are important.
Walk away from people that don't matter. Learn to keep your mouth shut. Don't say things you'll regret later. Stay on the right road, which is the high road.
Walking away from a fight isn't a sign of weakness. Quite the opposite. It takes a strong person to walk away from and argument or a fight. Never fight battles with small-minded people. People that don't value who you are. Don't get involved because it might prevent you from making progress on your own goals and dreams. These are simply distractions that might get you off track to reaching your own destiny.
Learn to ignore things. Ignore negative and critical people. Ignore negative comments. Ignore disrespect and rudeness. Keep your inner peace.
Don't take the bait.
Karin Glannstam, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Karin Glannstam is a Personal Success Coach specializing in helping people to successfully get back on track after life has knocked them down
She has self-published 4 self-help books and she writes a weekly newsletter and blog.
She is also very passionate about, fitness, health and well-being and she runs a private Facebook group, Empower Yourself To Succeed.
Born and raised in Sweden, Karin started out working as a nurse. In 1987 she moved to the US and today she spends her time between Texas and Sweden.
Her mission is to inspire, empower and educate others to create a powerful vision for their life, develop a game plan and then take action on that plan to bridge the gap from where they are today to where they want to be in the future.
Karin's motto is “Be Courageous, Take Action & Make It Happen!”
