The Real Reason People Want to Knock You Down a Peg
The suicidal mistake that makes you a target of insecure people
Made in Canva, sourced from Open Peeps
They say time speeds up in middle age. It’s been happening to me. Tuesday is round the corner & I am excited.
It seems like my decision to give time to Substack has paid off. Today my newsletter will be sponsored for the first time.
This edition is Sponsored by the SoloCreator Hub which teaches 1000+ readers how to grow a part-time creator business to full-time income in 2023. Take action as a solo creator today. You’ll benefit tomorrow.
SoloCreator Hub is bigger than Ethical Badass Tales. They have sponsored me & I have sponsored them in turn. I don’t see a place for insecurity in the writing world.
Yet insecurity exists around us.
I’ve been troubled for years by people wanting to knock me down a peg. I suspect they were troubled by insecurity. I am trying not to say this boastfully but with humility.
Human nature is what it is, but I wasn’t aware until I reached my late 30s. That was when the nastiness stopped, not by a miracle, but because I did something about it. I became somebody others found difficult to mess with.
Transformation was not an easy journey for me, but knowing why people were targeting me helped. And insecurity is only a part of the ‘why’.
What is sad is that I am not the only one people find easy to knock down. If you are sailing in my boat, my journey can help you maybe.
Yes, people wish to knock you down a peg when they feel threatened by you. Anything could tick them off. Your competence, your kindness or your intelligence. I think it is a quality they wished they had & you unconsciously rubbed it in. You are human so you are proud of the good in you. They are human so your good upset them.
This is maybe why friends sometimes throw jibes at each other. It could be subtle aggression that ensures the other doesn’t get ahead.
Middle age brought me the calm & quiet that forced me to think about this kind of aggression.
Why do some of us face more scrutiny & judgment than others?
I perceived that nobody around me was perfect. Yet, many others seemed to get by okay. This means they were not targets of insecure people or had learnt to deal with the criticism better.
The truth as I discovered seemed to be middle ground.
It helps to know isn’t it, especially if you have been attacked like I have?
It may also be a behavior trait you can work on (I did), which makes it useful to know.
People may be targeting you because you are vulnerable & open but lack the confidence to own your flaws.
Many of us are unable to accept our human condition. We believe our flaws define us. We wear them like shameful labels. An unkind word can knock us down. That is how fragile our soul is.
There is space for change. Change happened to me.
Vulnerability is great. It makes us human. It helps us connect with other humans. But if your vulnerability is not accompanied by self-compassion & self-acceptance, you feel the constant need to be perfect. Your castles crumble down in the face of the slightest storm.
Self-acceptance could be the answer. We can let it accompany our vulnerability & see if it makes us truly invincible.
I am a freelance writer interested in working with ordinary brands that embrace the extraordinary values of ethics, integrity & kindness. I want to be your voice if you want to make the world a better place with your product or service. If you are looking for a freelance writer to hire you can contact me at Hello! — Freelance Copywriter (ethicalbadass.com).