How to Grow a Backbone
Ian Laidlaw Ian Laidlaw

How to Grow a Backbone

“How do I grow a backbone? I tend to say yes to everything and everyone. Then I get taken advantage of and angry at myself. It happens at work a lot, not [being] compensated for things that I'm spending money on or asked to do some extra jobs that cause extra work and to lose focus on my actual work… When I spoke up most recently, I got hostility, a long and loud argument about why it's impossible. That becomes scary, i HATE confrontation and disappointing people. I can't quit, I need to be heard and understood.”

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Narcissism Is Not Who You Are
Ian Laidlaw Ian Laidlaw

Narcissism Is Not Who You Are

I learned a very interesting and useful perspective on narcissism recently: narcissism is not who a person is, and is not something people are born with, but is instead a set of tools. Tools like blame-shifting, grandiosity, admiration-seeking, manipulation and entitlement.

This raises an important question, if narcissism is actually a set of tools, then what is the problem that the tools have been developed to cope with?

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