In 2025, as in most years of our lives, many of us will be faced with leaders or people in our lives who are extremely difficult. People who are angry, aggressive, divisive, belittling, controlling, and spiteful. Those qualities are often enticing to match. I see any angry person driving and I might be attracted to that anger and react in kind. Ugly divisiveness seems to invite others to react back in a similar fashion or to align themselves with the adult bullies in our society. Similar to when we see a car accident on the road, aggressive leadership is hard to tear our eyes away.
We all have the choice to engage in that divisive vitriol with aggressive words in reaction or we can choose something else. We can choose kindness, compassion, love, listening, and being there for each other, even when we disagree. We can be the adults in the room without gloating or condescension, but rather with the belief that showing up that way is a true win/win for all of us.
We might want to choose to be humble winners and kind losers. We might want to look away from the car crash, and instead look for the good in so many others in our lives and in this world. Divisiveness is contagious. It’s our job to vaccinate ourselves from that truly debilitating virus and instead choose our own thoughts, our own feelings, and ultimately, our own behaviors.
Although anger and aggression might feel fun in the moment, they tear us down in the long run. Long-term aggression is stress, and stress is rough on our bodies. It’s even rougher on our spirit. You can’t always be stress-free. You can, however, manage yourself and you can choose what areas in life bring you an overwhelming amount of stress and what areas in life help you reduce that stress. We live in a high-conflict, high-stress world. We are each responsible for changing that, at least for ourselves.
You get to choose the life you live and the people you surround yourself with. What will you choose for 2025?
Love,
Certified Professional Coach and Psychologist
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How often have you wished for that person in your life who listens deeply, doesn’t judge you, and doesn’t try to fix you? That person who holds space for you to talk through your struggles, your hopes, and dreams so that you can live the personal and professional life that you truly want? I’m that person. Yes, I’m a psychologist and a professional life and leadership coach but my superpower is listening, deep, empathic, compassionate listening. If you’ve been seeking a professional listener who will help you live the life you truly desire, let’s set up a time to talk. My email is Lisa@LisaKaplin.com.