Surround Yourself With Interesting People, Not Just Anyone
Other people’s emotions are contagious, so you need to make sure you surround yourself with interesting people.
Whether you like it or not, the people you surround yourself with will influence you.
No doubt you meet lots of interesting people, but there are also people who will be interested in entering your life (if they haven’t already done so).
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There are plenty of times in life when it’s simply not possible to tell these “interesting” and “interested” people apart.
Work, your family, or other social circumstances will cause plenty of people to surround you. But only you can choose whether or not you want them in your life.
I want interesting people in my life
Interesting people can enrich your existence, filling it and making it brighter. They’re strong supporters who will contribute to your emotions and your intellect in a positive way.
You always want to be around insightful, interesting people. If you want to know if the people who currently surround you fit this category, we want to share some of the aspects that you nearly always find in them:
- Transmit positive emotions and they’re by your side during the bad times with a smile. They never judge or intrude more than is necessary.
- Allow you to grow as a person, helping you understand the things that can’t be seen, and enriching you with their many points of view.
- Like all of us, they cannot know everything, but they’re willing to learn new things with you. They awaken your mind and infect you with their positive attitude and the desire to explore new options.
- Thanks to their good deeds and general way of being, they manage to always make you be the best version of yourself.
If you’re able to attach a name to each of the points we mentioned above, congratulations! You’re surrounded by interesting people who bring more to your life than they take away.
That’s a great thing, and you should always try to keep them near to bring you to light and infect you with their joy.
Steer clear of people who are only interested
Interested people are motivated, as the word implies, by their interests. Instead of bringing something positive to your life, they do the opposite: fill it with negativity.
Of course, in some ways, we are all interested people. We want to surround ourselves with interesting people, thus becoming interested parties.
But people who come to you wanting something without offering anything in return can be toxic, stealing your energy and time while giving you zero benefit.
Take care of yourself
This type of interested person has their own characteristics, and although they may be more difficult to identify, you can recognize them by the following:
- Act like emotional vampires, and any conversation with them will wear you down and steal your energy just to keep you on their side.
- Never satisfied with what you give them, always demanding more. The sacrifices you make don’t matter to them: this should tell you clearly that it will never be enough.
- Don’t get involved in relationships and aren’t willing to give more than is necessary. The affection is lost from their bonds, which turn into self-interested relationships.
- Always make you feel guilty or responsible for actions or circumstances that you may not have even been involved in.
Are these bad people? The truth is that they’re not. The problem, however, is that they don’t know how to relate to people any other way, creating problems.
To avoid becoming their “subjects” it’s important to know how to identify them and set your boundaries.
This is the only way you can keep from being affected by their behavior.
Stay away from people who try to hurt you, manipulate you, or constantly poison you with negative emotions and feelings.
Try instead to surround yourself with people who bring you to light and a positive attitude.
People who make you feel better, and who can recognize their own mistakes.
Finally, it’s just as important that you try to become an interesting person yourself.
A person who always brings good feelings, a smile, and the ability to establish healthy relationships.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Cunha, M. P., Rego, A., & Lopes, M. P. (2013). Comportamento organizacional positivo. Analise Psicologica. https://doi.org/10.14417/ap.804
- Carbelo, B., & Jáuregui, E. (2006). Emociones positivas: humor positivo. Papeles del Psicólogo. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/778/77827104.pdf
- Oliva, A., Ríos, M., Antolín, L., Parra, A., Hernando, A., & Pertegal, M. A. (2010). Más allá del déficit: construyendo un modelo de desarrollo positivo adolescente. Infancia y Aprendizaje. https://doi.org/10.1174/021037010791114562
- Oramas, A., Santada, S., & Vergara, A. (2006). El bienestar psicológico, un indicador positivo de salud mental. Revista Cubana de Salud y Trabajo.