How Successful People Handle Difficult People
What magic do certain people possess that lets them flow with even the most difficult of people?
Do you want to learn how to handle difficult people the way thriving people do every day?
Start the Day Fortified
Successful people are so capable at handling difficult people they encounter because they star the day fortified with inner balance, calm, and energy. They get 7-8 hours of sleep, or the correct amount the need to awake feeling rested.
Research any hugely successful person you can think of, and they have a morning routine, no matter whether its two hours or a few minutes, to center and energize.
Generally, the routine upon waking includes exercise, as well as some space for solitude and reflection, meditation, prayer, journaling, or writing. A few minutes of reading and a healthy breakfast round out the time spent before work.
Starting the day with exercise, quiet time alone to establish inner balance, and a healthy breakfast means successful people start the day feeling relaxed and well. An investment in their own well-being first thing means they arrive into every situation from a place of balance and focus.
They then take 2-5 minute breaks regularly throughout the day to get up, move, stretch, breathe, walk outside, and refresh themselves and turn the stress button off and the calm back on full force.
When a problematic person arrives on the scene, successful people are not in a state of stress. If you are already in a state of tension, then an interaction with a challenging personality can be the last nudge to push you over the cliff.
In a state of calm, a taxing interface with someone doesn’t pull you out of your inner balance. Flourishing people understand that those few minutes or hour in the morning of investing in their health and well-being pay dividends all day. Acting from a place of calm center enables them to work proactively instead of reactively.
Imagine a customer starts yelling, the person in a negotiation on the other side of the table turns into a shark, or a child falls to the floor in a screaming tantrum. Fortified from their morning routine with well-being, energy, and serenity, the successful person doesn’t react. They pause.
THE INWARD PAUSE IS THE KEY
It’s that split second between impulse and response that is critical.
They take a minute to pause, turn inward, and reflect. Perhaps they bring their attention to their breath, and consciously fill their lungs and then slowly exhale.
Successful people look past the words, actions, and personality of the person in front of them and see the humanity of the person in front of them. They acknowledge any negative emotions that arise in the presence of the difficult person in front of them, label the feelings, and let them dissolve.
Observing arising negative emotions, labeling them, and then letting them go enables the successful person to react to the situation from a place of calm and centered strength.
They take time to DECIDE on the best way to respond to the situation.
A Slow, Low, Calm Voice
Next, a successful person answers in a slow, low volume and tone, calm voice.
Recall the voice of your favorite radio DJ, the soothing voice of a meditation or yoga instructor, or the voice of someone in your life that you find smooth and calm.
Using a slow, calm voice with a problematic person shifts the energy in the room as you respond with what you have decided to say.
No Negotiation
Successful people do not negotiate. It may appear that they are engaging in a back and forth exchange. They know what they want and will not budge even an inch.
Neither do they fear or hesitate to call the person out on any behavior or treatment they deem as wrong or inconsiderate. They do it after a pause, a turning inwards as they acknowledge, label, release negative emotions, and decide on the best way to speak. Then with the slow, calm voice, they express their truth.
The pause, coupled with the lack of negative emotion, and the slow, calm voice, are compelling. Successful people move from a spaciousness of inner balance and strength as they deal with the trying person in front of them.
Respectful Interaction or Manipulation – It Depends on the Successful Person
Some successful people treat everyone, including those difficult people, with respect no matter what the situation.
Seeing the humanity of everyone they meet, they treat everyone with polite calm. It isn’t only that they don’t let even the most obnoxious behavior pull them out of balance. They believe that how they act reflects on their character.
Additionally, this set of thriving people understand that you never know when someone who is a foe today may turn into someone who could help them tomorrow. They don’t want to slam doors in anyone’s face. They’ll insist on shutting them with a smile or polite handshake instead.
Then there are successful people that manipulate everyone, including those difficult people, no matter what the situation. They don’t see the humanity, they don’t care about ruining relationships, but they do care about getting their way, what they want, and power.
Instead of respect, manipulation is the tool of choice. Moreover, it works, at least for days, years, or sometimes a lifetime. They get what they want, even if they bash into or over people in the process.
Whichever the type of hugely successful person, whether they employ respect or manipulation, they all invest in attaining an inner balance and move from that place of calm strength. They do not react but are proactive. They pause, find calm, consider their respon