Mentally or physically excuse yourself from a conversation that becomes too full of gossip, to avoid falling into gossip games or socialising-by-demoralising. Leave any conversation that stoops to the level of gossiping.
Revenge as a motivation for doing anything is always a total fail. It reveals a lack of self-respect, a lack of respect for others and a lack of self-restraint or personal responsibility for your actions.
Talking about others’ secrets can get the conversation started and feel exciting, but shows a lack of creativity in your conversation skills. Soothing boredom with your friend’s information is both lazy and disloyal.
Supporting, guiding, and making contributions to other people is one of life’s greatest rewards.
Treat everyone with the same level of respect you would give to your grandfather and the same level of patience you would have with your baby brother.
How you see yourself is more important than how others see you. Set your own values and live to them, and this is what others will see.
People who are not comfortable in their own skin and who have insecurities will often pick apart others in order to feel better. You can find less personal topics if you feel you need to fill uncomfortable silences.
Get to the root of why you find it’s okay to talk behind the back of your friends, in order to know how to stop. It may be insecurity, boredom, revenge, to ‘protect’ others, to be funny, or just thoughtlessness.
Don’t let the opinions of others stand in your way. What they think and say about you isn’t important. What is important is how you feel about yourself.
For the most part, what other people think and say about you doesn’t matter. When you leave school, nearly all the people whose opinions you care so much about will no longer be a part of your life.