Mean Girls

I've encountered mean girls** in almost every job I've had.

Most people think high school ends when you graduate.

I've found: life is high school.

My mom would tell you I struggled with this in high school:

I've always had minimal tolerance for:

👎 Drama

👎 Popularity Contests

👎 Playing Favorites

👎 Disloyalty

👎 Cattiness

👎 Pitting People Against Each Other

👎 Using and then Losing People

It was hard in high school.

It is even harder now,

Especially in the era of “women supporting women.”

But, means girls remain.

And, I’ve learned, some of this is just human nature.

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Also: don't get me wrong:

I am sure someone reading this will think,

"Emily was a mean girl to me once."

I'm sure I was.

I'm human,

And far from perfect.

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But that doesn't mean I excuse it,

Or lack self-awareness when I slip into these weak moments,

Or even tolerate it.

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By extending kindness,

By extending grace,

Even when those things are not given to me in return,

I am able to come out of difficult moments thinking:

I was true to myself, and/or

I am proud of how I handled myself.

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Mean girls are everywhere.

Even in grown-up, adult, professional environments.

That doesn’t mean we stoop to their level.

I cannot say enough for trying to kill ‘em with kindness anyway.

**Mean men, too. In fact, sometimes it can be surprising to learn that men partake in these activities just as much, if not more, than women.

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