Wouldn’t life be great if everyone treated you with the respect you deserve? That would be wonderful, but we all know that’s not going to happen. The fact is, there are some people are who are arrogant and don’t really care about treating you with respect. If you have someone like that at work or at home, here are four things to keep in mind:
Remove the buttons they’re pushing
If you were Mr. Spock, of Star Trek fame, arrogant people wouldn’t disturb you. Even if that arrogant person insinuated you’re just stupid to have a certain opinion, you’d be just fine. If you were Spock, you’d simply raise an eyebrow and think, “Typical of humans—they’re incapable of being logical.”
However, I’m not Mr. Spock and neither are you. That means we might have some “buttons” that arrogant people are so good at pushing. Ask yourself what your buttons might be and do the work to eliminate them. That’s easier said than done, but it is possible.
Focus on what you can control—you
You know you can’t control anyone else. (Yes, arrogant people can change, but I wouldn’t bet on it.) What you can focus on is you’re the one controlling how you respond. I know, we’ve heard it a million times, but we hear it so often because we need to keep working on it.
One thing you’re in charge of is setting boundaries that need to be set. That’s your job, and if you don’t do it, no one will. Focus on that. It’s easy to want the arrogant person to change but it’s also futile. It’s harder to look at myself and say, “I need to be more assertive. Yes, that’s harder, but it’s within your control.
Prepare yourself ahead of time
If you can’t stay away from a certain arrogant person, at least prepare for the time you’ll be interacting with them. Take three minutes and breathe deeply. Think about something that centers you and raises your confidence. Pay attention to your self-talk.
If you tell yourself you can’t stand being around them you’ll increase your stress. Instead, tell yourself, “I don’t like being around them and wish I didn’t have to be. But I’ve dealt with them many times and I can this time.” You won’t be happy about it but you’ll be in a stronger place when the time comes.
