If you’re the type of person whose first instinct is to be kind to others, and you assume the people around you are doing the same, here’s something to consider.
These individuals are social chameleons.
How do you avoid that?
Here are three types of people to watch for when you’re sorting out who’s real and who’s not.
The Consistent Ones
People whose praise for you in public matches their respect for you in private.
Those are the ones who show up when there’s nothing in it for them and don’t need a reason to call you and ask how you’re doing.
True friends and mentors.
The Two-Faced
People who smile in your face and spit on the ground you walk on.
Ever heard from a friend that a person was talking poorly about you?
Either keep an eye on them or cut them off.
If they’re willing to gossip about you, they’re likely willing to abandon you when you need them most.
The Opportunists
People with no real position of their own.
They’ll side with whoever’s winning, and the second you no longer benefit them, they’re gone.
Keep in mind that people are on a spectrum, so the same person can move depending on what’s at stake.
But the point here is to notice these patterns early to mitigate being taken advantage of or spending time in relationships that have negative long-term effects.
Reading this has personally made me take better inventory of my relationships and cut people out that no longer belong.
And I’m happier as a result.
