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In my experience it sometimes seems when people do not get their way, bullying and mind games come full force on social media. Rudeness, deliberate shunning and aggressive remarks can all be pieces of bullying occurring in the equine world. I have friends in other career fields who say they have experienced similar behaviors.
Here is what you should do 99% of the time: nothing. That’s right, you should do nothing.
Most of the time the problem will cease; kind of like a fire without oxygen. Now, if it gets to the point that the words end up causing harm to your reputation or your livelihood, then there are laws against libel and slander. In the case of social media, you actually have proof. Make sure you take screen shots of everything. It is so easy now for complete written conversations to become basically immortal and can often be used as evidence in legal proceedings. The main idea here is that once you type something and post it, your words are always there.
Most of the bullying I have personally encountered is either a control tactic or is jealousy driven. In fact, every person that has bullied us I have at one time thought the world of them. I know that they are good people, but there is a small part of them that is not the good side. I have to understand that there are a lot of people that are not happy with where they ended up in life, and seeing others actively pursuing their dreams and achieving them has got to be a huge reminder of what they did not accomplish. My advice is to keep on doing what you are doing. Work hard and remain positive. I promise you there is more positive in this world than negative. If you keep being this beacon of light, most of those people that have wronged you will come around. And when they do, sometimes it is best to not bring up the past. Sometimes you have to lay your cards on the table. Time does heal some wounds and friendships can mend.
Every morning I start my day by writing three things I am grateful for in my life, a positive experience from the day before and I write a thank you note to someone. I have found that by me focusing on being a positive person I can deal with the 1% a lot easier.
If you are dealing with bullying in the equine industry, know that you are not alone. Also know you do have rights if the line has been crossed. If you have wronged someone, fix it. Everyone involved will feel better. We all love equine, so that will always be a common ground that everyone can meet on. Let’s leave the bullying in grade school where it belongs, we’ve got horses to ride!
Most of the bullying I have personally encountered is either a control tactic or is jealousy driven. In fact, every instance of bullying we have experienced originated with an individual we thought of highly. I know that they are good people, just as many of the people who succumb to road rage are also good people who give in to aggressive, hurtful behavior in the heat of a moment.
My advice is to keep on doing what you are doing. Work hard and remain positive. I promise you there is more positive in this world than negative.
If you keep being this beacon of light, most of those people that have wronged you will come around. And when they do, sometimes it is best to not bring up the past. Sometimes you have to lay your cards on the table. Time does heal some wounds and friendships can mend.
Every morning I start my day by writing three things I am grateful for in my life, a positive experience from the day before and I write a thank you note to someone. I have found that by me focusing on being a positive person I can deal with the 1% a lot easier.
If you are dealing with bullying in the equine industry, know that you are not alone. Also know you do have rights if the line has been crossed. If you have wronged someone, fix it. Everyone involved will feel better. We all love horses, so that will always be a common ground that everyone can meet on. Let’s avoid bullying at all costs, we’ve got horses to ride!
If you have wronged
someone,
FIX IT
SMILE
It baffles those who wish to hurt
YOU
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