ONE SIDED CONVERSATION

A monologue in a movie can resonate with you because it has the power to highlight a performance, but it has no place in an open conversation where communication is key. We all have our own perspectives, and unless we are given a chance to express them, we will never be heard.

An open conversation allows us to share our thoughts without the fear of judgment, helping to steer the flow of discussion. Without it, we will never find common ground. Thoughts are meant to be expressed, not suppressed. They are how we discover who we are and what we need to do to reach our goals.

If we ignore what makes us unique, we will never reach our full potential. A life spent without reaching your full potential is a life wasted. We must not take for granted the opportunities we have. Life is what you make it, so don't blame others if you find yourself in a ditch of regret.

Use your failures as lessons to guide you toward a better path, and listen as much as you speak. Otherwise, you may find yourself wondering how you ended up somewhere you never intended to be.

FUNNEL MANIPULATOR

Manipulators will often listen to others share their life stories only to gain knowledge of their vulnerabilities. Those who are open enough to share their lives with the undeserving will quickly discover that some of their peers are hiding their true intentions. In reality, they are competing with them, and no amount of shared experiences will guarantee their loyalty.

Manipulators will take advantage of a situation without any regard for ethics, allowing nothing to stand in the way of their pursuit of success. The sly store information in their memory banks until the moment they believe it will have the greatest effect on their competitors. Then, they sit back and revel in the drama they have created.

They believe that people are weak for sharing their vulnerabilities, and to a manipulator, the blame lies not with those who exploit others, but with those who choose to open up in the first place. In their eyes, taking advantage of someone's trust is simply an opportunity waiting to be seized.

If you want to avoid becoming someone's stepping stone, make it more difficult for them by refusing to let them use you as a means of getting ahead. Your valuable time should be spent with those who listen because they genuinely care about your story, not with those who listen only to gather ammunition for future drama and their own sad entertainment.