As part of the 2016 A-Z Blog Challenge I am writing a guidebook on how to navigate through life according to S.D. Gates. I thought I would write a survival guide for my boys. They are now 18 and 19 years of age. I find that I have so many little things that need to be said about how to navigate through life unscathed and as comfortably as possible. This isn’t earth-shattering stuff, but it might helpful to the boys, if and when they move out on their own. I am certainly not rushing them, I like having them at home. But eventually they will want to move on with their lives. I am hoping this will come in handy.
The A-Z Survival Guide to Life
A – Annoying People
There are many different types of annoying people, so many types. Ultimately, the best thing to do is avoid them, but this is almost impossible. They are everywhere, and unless you plan on being a hermit, living off the grid, in the mountains, you are always going to bump into them. The best thing to do is to learn to live with them, if you can’t avoid them and make the most of any interaction you might have with them. I will cover the most prevalent types of annoying people.
The Self-Centered Types – These are the people that think only of themselves. When they are around, they monopolize the conversation and speak entirely on their favorite subject, themselves. These people do not realize they are doing this for the most part. It doesn’t matter what you do, they are never going to experience an epiphany and suddenly realize they have dominated the conversations and then ask you how you are doing. To not make yourself look like a completely insincere, unfeeling butthole, your only option is to listen. Think to yourself this must be an amazingly insecure individual, who lives a lonely life trying to convince themselves and all the people around them that they are significant and nod – a lot – because you will never get a word in edgewise.
The Downers – These are the people that are completely negative about everything, everyone. They are the people that will find fault in even the most wonderful of situations, say… like winning a brand new car. They will complain about the color, the interior, the new car smell – anything and everything. These people are never, ever happy about anything. Everyone around them is stupid, ineffective, their lives are without cheer, everything is grey and boring and dull and endless. All I can tell you, is stay as far away from these people as you can. Limit any contact with them. They will suck the life out of you and drag you down into the quagmire of doom and gloom. If you absolutely have to spend time with a Downer, make sure to counteract their negative auras, with over the top cheer and happiness about everything. Create a bubble of joy to protect the negative aura exuding from a nearby Downer – it is the only way to survive.
The Angry Person – This is the person that bashes through their lives, cussing and carrying on about everything. This is the person that finds fault in everything – the line is too long, the day is too sunny, the laundry is too soft, the grass is too green and all of that stuff pisses them off. These people I find the most annoying and most toxic. They take no responsibility for anything that happens to them in their lives, it is everyone else’s fault and they want someone to pay for it, they want someone to know they are angry. And if they are ignored they will become more belligerent, louder and angrier. They will flail out at any inanimate object or innocent bystander in an attempt to draw them into their vortex of ire. Stand clear. If you do have the misfortune of encountering an individual such as this, minimize your interactions with them, do not attempt to pacify them and hope they someday will realize how incredibly ridiculous they are. Do not become one of these people. Because I will not really like you very much (I will always love you, but I just won’t like you as a person). Just saying.
The Instigator – These type of people are generally quite sneaky. They could be a coworker, a girlfriend, a boss. These people will create environments of tensions, infiltrate little lies and untruths into conversations – just enough to sow a seed of doubt or uncertainty into an established relationship. They will attempt to pit the people in their lives against one another. That is where they find their joy. These types of people are very dangerous, because they blend into the crowd, they pretend to be a friend. But they are not. They enjoy mayhem and chaos. To avoid being pulled into their web of deceit, learn from experience. They will invariably be able to get away with their sneaky ways once, but don’t ever allow them a second chance, because once an instigator, always an instigator. And don’t gossip or talk behind the backs of others, because this is how they usually recruit their victims.
The Credit-Taker – We will talk more about this type of person in the Professional section (if I remember when we get to the “P” part of this challenge). You will bump into this type sometime in your life, most likely when you get a job, or begin your career. These are the type of people that will let you do all the work and then totally claim all the work and the brilliant ideas were theirs alone, and they just simply allowed you to assist them. All I can say about dealing with these types, is tell them nothing, keep to yourself and if you absolutely have to work with them, document, document, document and let them know you are.
There are many other types of annoying individuals, as witnessed when we brainstormed about who annoyed us the most. Here are some of the types:
Young girls that think getting old is a disease (that was mine)
Loud talkers (on their cellphones or in general)
Know-it-alls (seems to be less of them, because things can be verified on Google)
Holier-than thou types.
There are more, but I promised myself I would keep these posts at about 1000 words, so I have to stop for now.
Categories: Uncategorized
Love your theme, great post! Make sure they know about the “morons who don’t use their turn lights” 😛
Oh that comes under D – Driving. I have plenty to say about that. Thanks – on the theme!!!! I am coming over to your blog!
How good was this post? I just kept nodding my head as I was reading as well as having a little chuckle now and then. The wisdom of us mums, right? Absolutely brilliant and I have no doubts that your sons will navigate life fantastically if they read your A to Z Challenge!! I will certainly be turning up for more 🙂
Pempi
A Stormy’s Sidekick
Special Teaching at Pempi’s Palace
Thanks so much, I think I could have gone on all night about all the people that annoy me. Thanks for coming to visit.
Good Preparation.
xxx Humongous Hugs xxx
Hi David. Oh…..and the preparation is only beginning.
What a great theme. So many others make me want to vomit! I’d add them to my list of annoying people 😀
Thanks!!!! Ha-ha!!!! After I finished the post, I went off to bed thinking up a gazillion more annoying types of people I could have included.
You won’t sleep..!!!
Yes, it had the completely opposite effect of counting sheep, because then I would think of encounters I had with those types and then it just went on and on.
We need to get to “L” for “Letting go”!
Oh yes – that is a good one. I must remember that. I wish someone had written a survival guide for me with guidance on how to let go of things. It is not something I have really ever been able to do!
I loved this. My “A” was on the same topic, only a more lighthearted approach. Love your solutions on how to handle people with these annoying types of personalities.
Thank-you. I must come over and visit your blog!!!!
YES YES YES. I have known all of these people and it took me well into my 30’s to learn to watch for them so I could distance myself. It saves a lot of heartache if you can learn this lesson early.
Visiting from A to Z
Hopefully, my sons can learn through my experiences, or at least be able to quickly identify the type of annoying person they are encountering!!!!
You nailed this one. It makes me start (or rather continue) to think it doesn’t leave many tolerable people!
Hee-hee, that is kind of what I was thinking while I was writing this post.
This is such a great idea, my friend. My 13 and 11 year Olds should have their mother do this too. Smiles. In poetic form, however..
Of course your guide would so much more beautiful in poetic form,. You should do it!!! That would be great!!!! Hope all is well with you and your family!
Maybe my kids will enjoy poetry one day. I really love the idea. Almost better than leaving them 100 scrapbooks their spouses won’t want. All is healing and well, thank you. 🙂
Yes, scrapbooks. I think I started one about 15 years ago and it has been sitting in a closet, unfinished somewhere.
Yeah, me too.
My mom is the Downer Type. Since I moved back nearby, I have to either learn to limit my time with her, or change the subject frequently.
There is another type that annoys me, but I don’t know what you’d call them. The type when you’re out and about running errands. Someone who holds you up in a grocery line or goes to an open teller window at the bank when you’ve been waiting there for some time and they just walked in. That type of stuff.
I’m still battling with this virus, but this is my kinda post and had to add my two cents. 😉
Ahh, I know the people of whom you speak. The people that get in the Express Lane at the grocery store and then take a gazillion minutes to write the check. These kind of people just drive me crazy because they think the world revolves around them, OR, they are just completely oblivious to the world around them!!!!
Reblogged this on WHOLE.