You thought bullying just happened to little kids at school, right? Wrong! This week, I experienced grown-up bullying. The thing about grown-up bullying is that it comes in many forms. Some of it is obvious, like the customer who is rude to the sales rep or the driver who yells at you from inside his car. The kind of bullying that gets under my skin is the sneaky kind. You know, the little sarcastic comments that are supposed to be “a joke” but cut like a knife. When I was going through it this week, I knew I was being bullied because all of a sudden I felt really small and unsure of myself. I found myself faltering in my own area of expertise and second-guessing my knowledge and my approach. When I had a night to sleep on it, I realized something profound. People can only push you around if you let them. This is true from the playground to the boardroom. So I had a decision to make. Was I going to continue letting someone treat me this way, or not? The response from deep inside was a resounding “NO!” Here are the steps I took to get my power back.
Dr. Saira Sabzaali is a transformational counsellor who holds a PhD in Transpersonal Psychology.
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