I am not a trusting person. Upon meeting me, I will watch you out of the side of my eye, I will stand in the corner and watch you like a hawk. When I finally decide that you aren't a threat, then I will warm up to you and probably talk your ear off. I'm open about this instinct and I don't feel guilty about it either. And people have the nerve to ask, "why are you defensive at first?"

My answer; because people are toxic.

Toxic can be defined in multiple ways, most often associated with "poisonous," one could also say "extremely harsh, malicious, or harmful."

Humans are not poisonous by nature, they do not have color-coded scales upon their backs to alert others of their venomous bite. The poison doesn't flow through their bites as they tear into their next victim. No, humans aren't like snakes. Humans are far worse, humans stab you in the back and then smile as they throw you under the bus.

Toxic humans can take on many forms; manipulators, liars, even friends. In a world of bombs, drone strikes, and a war over oil; you'd be surprised that human beings still have a complex to be malicious. In a time that we should be lifting each other there are still people who want to cut you down.

In the words of Dita Von Teese, "you can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches." There is always going to be someone faster, smarter, taller, prettier, more talented and so on. It's life, you can't always be number one. But when you are number one at something, someone will bring you down. Even if you aren't number one, they will sill bring you down. In other words, the more confident you are, the more people that will hate you. And isn't that a conundrum?

As adulthood approaches you'd think that people would mature and grow up. No, they just become jealous adults. They are the ones intimidated in the work place and fear the success of others.

Jealous, envy, intimidated; cut these people out of your life. Just block them, hide them on Facebook, ignore them. Do yourself a favor and stop associating with the people who pray at night for your failure. I don't have space in my life for someone who wants to see my dreams crush. I don't have time for people to be intimidated by my confidence.

Recently, I saw on Facebook and a post that said, "never dim anyone else' light so that you can shine." I love that mindset. Don't bring someone else down so you can be in the spotlight. As a writer and a designer it's important to remember to lift other people up. The way you speak of others says more about you than it does the other person.

Basically "What Suzy says about Sally says more about Suzy than it does Sally."

But back to light thing. I thought about that quote for a long time and started applying it to my everyday life. But there was something that I added to it. I will not dim someone else' light, but I will not dim my own.

It sounds shallow, I know. But never cut yourself down because someone is intimidated by you. This life is too short to not shine. Some of us were born to do great things, do not let a toxic person tell you otherwise. Don't listen to someone that says, "you are taking the attention" or "let someone else be in the light."

You know how on cartoons when a character gets an idea a lightbulb pops up? Okay, so our ideas are lights, so we are the lights. Life is a chandelier and our ideas light up that fixture. There's not just one single light lighting a chandelier, there's multiple lights. This town is big enough for two sheriffs.

It's okay to not always be the one in the limelight, everyone needs a little time away from it. But don't be the person that is toxic to those who shine. Why would you cut down someone else? Do you think it will make you look better? No, all it's going to do is get you laughed at for acting like a child. Don't diminish yourself to a toxic person, you can shine too.