text and photo copyright 1998-2011 Susan Kramer
Santa Barbara, California USA
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
published by Creations in Consciousness

1. Introduction

We can protect ourselves from the uncomfortable affects of difficult people by:

          1. Avoiding contact with them;
          2. Observing what they do or say while maintaining neutral feelings and thoughts about them;
          3. Doing the opposite of being the mental observer by being surrendered and open to their form of expression, allowing new grooves of a different reality to be recorded in our mind and stored for reference. During this new recording we do not have to give up our own position or way of thinking—we are expanding our experience base.

2. Relating More Harmoniously

If we are the one others label 'difficult' and now want to get along with others harmoniously, we can take stock of the way we are handling situations in our life. We learn mainly by trial and error. After we have continual problems in relating harmoniously, we begin to ask ourselves why? After the reasons outside of ourselves are exhausted we begin personal self-improvement. This is the last resort, but the right place to get to know our underlying happy Self.

The sincere desire to know our Self—our Source—leads to experiencing our underlying harmony outwardly in our subsequent thoughts and actions. We begin having easy relationships in all aspects of living.

Beautiful uplifting music is made up of the harmonious blending of separate notes…

3. Our Best Effort

When we give the best of ourselves we reap peace of mind and contentment, internally.

We can justify our time and effort spent in striving for personal betterment, because, the better we each become, the more people around us benefit—from our improving attitudes, caring thoughts and actions.

Time spent on ourselves
Justified
When that time is for our betterment
Our expansion in consciousness

4. Facing Competition

Competition is a mission—a mission to get ahead of where we are.

In all aspects of living we face competition. We compete with ourselves when we want to better our position, or perfect an aspect of ourselves.

It is unhealthy competition when we push another aside to get our way—when we push  another aside, when they rightfully belong where they are.

In the workplace, it is healthy competition to compete against ourselves in order to learn new and better job skills—and in this way qualify ourselves to get ahead. It is unhealthy competition to try to oust another from their position by subterfuge.

The antidote for unhealthy competition is consideration for what serves the highest and most truthful purpose in the circumstance.

Trying to get ahead is great when it involves improving the quality of our own skills and then doing a job search to find that better job.

Trying to get ahead when we downplay another person, or try to take over another's position is unjust to them, and unjust to ourselves as the end result in either case, is that we lose our peace of mind, and rob the other of what was theirs. Another downside to unhealthy competition in that we reinforce negativity in ourselves at the expense of seemingly getting ahead. We are actually not getting ahead within our own character. We  are debasing the quality of the person that we already are.

To keep competition healthy requires that each person get ahead because of the work done by their own merits—not by doing what undermines another.

Promoting our good points is healthy, while at the same time we do not point out another's weaknesses. Improving our skills is healthy, so that we can naturally stand out in the competition.

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