Everyone has the potential to display narcissistic traits…
Whether we want to believe it or not.
Just like everyone also has an ego.
It’s whether or not it’s given life, and oxygen to breathe…
It’s not just your internal thoughts, values, and beliefs that determine your behaviour; it’s your environment around you as well.
Your environment around you and the people within that environment will either allow you to be calm and be your best self, or it will make you fight to survive.
When it’s the latter, things become irrational, your behaviours become irrational; but not because you are irrational.
Because you’re in an environment or you’re in the presence of people that aren’t in your best interest, and that aren’t allowing you to be your best self.
If anything, they might be suffocating you…
There is a very big difference between someone who actually has NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder), and someone who’s been pushed to their limits and is now doing anything they can in order to survive.
In reality there is only a very small percentage of the population that actually have NPD. Although I would argue that the percentage is probably a little higher than what is usually thrown out there, because there is a lot of undiagnosed and misdiagnosed cases that go unaccounted for.
When you’re trying to survive, you are irrational, you do begin doing things that you wouldn’t normally do; because your mind isn’t functioning the way it normally does.
You are in fight or flight mode.
Your environment and the people who reside in that environment have a direct correlation to this.
You’ve probably heard the saying; you are who you spend your time around…
The top five people you spend the most time with in your life is who you will ultimately become like.
If you spend your time around motivated and ambitious people who are positive and uplifting; you’ll become like them.
But if you spend your time around lazy people who do nothing with their life, who are filled with negativity; then you’ll become like them too.
And just like who you spend your time around impacts who you become; so too does your environment dictate the actions you take.
Because the actions you take are always aligned to your surroundings in some way, shape, or form.
The actions you take are as a result of your inner thoughts and beliefs.
Your inner thoughts and beliefs are shaped and developed by what you experience and feel within your surrounding environment and the people that occupy that environment.
When you’re in an environment where a narcissist exists, they distort your version of reality.
They will tell you things like it’s not your environment, it’s you.
But in time, it becomes very clear that it was them all along that was impacting your environment which then impacted you, because you didn't feel safe.
They were like a dark storm cloud always hovering, and you never knew when lightning was going to strike.
You need to feel holistically safe in your environment.
Your environment isn’t just about physicality.
If you don’t feel safe in your environment emotionally, or mentally; something needs to change…
You need to leave that environment.
Having the right people around you, with the right morals and values, and the right temperaments is one of the most impactful decisions you can make for yourself.
Because when you’re around the wrong people, you’ll eventually become a reflection of them and their behaviours…
When you’re around the right people, you’re going to feel safe, secure, and loved.
And that makes all the difference…
~ Mark