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Steer Clear of Toxic People

A toxic person robs you of your self-esteem and dignity and poisons the essence of who you are.

—LILIAN GLASS, PSYCHOLOGIST

I love connecting with people, and I go out of my way to do it. I’m a big fan of my partner Keith Ferrazzi’s motto “Never Eat Alone,” and I’m enormously grateful that nearly every new person I meet enriches my life.

But sometimes reaching out is a mistake. That’s a lesson I finally had to learn myself, the hard way.

Four years ago, I had emergency, lifesaving surgery. During my recovery, I had a chance to think hard about some of the stressors in my life—stressors that made me less healthy than I could be and kept me from enjoying my life to the fullest. And while it may sound odd coming ...

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