Are You Bone-Tired of Some Friends or Team Members?

All I could do was laugh recently as this lady pulled up beside me at a stop sign.  As you can see, her companion has seen better days.  I immediately wondered what she was doing with this full scale skeleton riding shotgun in her car. But at least they had on their seatbelt, safety first! I rolled down my window to ask her what her friend was up to, but she sped off with what appeared to be a little attitude. I guess I was a little too lively for her. 

I never thought of a plausible reason to be driving down the highway with a skeleton riding shotgun.  However, I did begin to reflect on the irony that this picture provides for us.  Do I hang out or work with any individuals that make me feel like a skeleton when I’m around them?  Do I have individuals in my life that cause me to lose my energy and feel dead inside?  We know that negativity is contagious and over time, it can be downright deadly. By reflecting on the negative influences in my life, I’ve taken action to make sure that I’m not that skeleton riding with them next time.  Life is short. We shouldn’t waste time with negative influences. 

Now, a tougher question (and part of self-awareness) might lead to another line of reflection: How many of our friends, family, or team members feel like a skeleton when they are around us?  Are we surrounding our friends and team members with stress and negativity?  It’s possible that we make others feel like a skeleton simply by not being in the moment when they need us. 

We can use the irony of this funny picture to help us #beEvenBetter by thinking about the skeletons riding with us.  That’s pretty much cutting it to the bone!