![girl-2099362_960_720.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmepjT7tLr7t7piFTGCzgH7VpzXPT61PxGp3BfCMdUojAx/girl-2099362_960_720.jpg) Today something interesting happened. I received a message from one of my old co-workers. We'll call him Tyler Because I'm not going to be a jerk and put his name in this. But there is a valuable lesson to learn here. I haven't talked to Tyler in the longest time. We were coworkers for over four years. I've always felt weird about him, Not in like a really bad way. It's kind of hard to describe, I could be having the best day in the world... And after talking to him, I could walk away feeling down. I never felt good after talking to him. He wasn't necessarily a bad person. But his negativity was so draining... He always had something bad to say about everyone and everything. He seemed to take everything that happened to him on a personal level. ![poison-bottle-medicine-old-159296.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmYzk3zcbdsBikH9urs5gLCYvSeK6F1ThwyZySeRFMJFYb/poison-bottle-medicine-old-159296.jpeg) Even though I felt uneasy around him, I wasn't going to be rude. I didn't want to cause drama and awkwardness at my workplace. The place I spend A LOT of time at. So I just avoided him the best I could. So after all this time, He messaged me. I replied once, And he responded again with some snarky comment, Basically stating that "I didn't say goodbye to him, and I didn't give him a hug, That I guess I don't like him blah blah blah Etc... " He took me quitting personal. And to be honest, When I left my job, I was so sick fo working there. I didn't say goodbye to anyone, Not only that but he was rarely ever around. By the time I had quit, I hadn't seen him forever. I almost replied again, But then I realized... ## I don't owe him an explanation. ## ### I didn't owe him a Goodbye, I don't owe anyone a goodbye. People come and leave in your life. ### This is my chance, To remove someone who is a walking ball of negativity from my life... I'M TAKING IT! So I ignored his message. I won't even respond. Or fully open his message. I feel sorry for people like that. Because he may not fully understand why. But I know from working with him, that many coworkers tried to "let him know." That way he could make the necessary adjustments. # Life is short! # Who you're surrounded by, can make a HUGE impact in your life! I'm not taking any chances. I wouldn't want my subconscious to be influenced by him. They say that you are the "sum" of the five people you spend the most time around. So I'm trying to be careful on who I choose to be close to. # I Hope He Can Find Happiness within Himself! # I hope one day he can look at his thoughts from a new perspective and become happier in his life. I have no ill will towards him. I just don't want to feel dragged down. Sometimes It can be hard to analyze that voice in your head and start making adjustments. This is why self-improvement can be so difficult. In away you have to rewire your brain. To change your behavior, You have to change your belief system. And change your way of thinking. Sometimes you can't just scrape the surface and change personal habits because you'll go back to how you were. I'm a little sad that I had to do this. But sometimes it's necessary! Don't be afraid to remove people that aren't helping you become a better person! Life is short! ![snake-mamba-green-mamba-toxic-38268.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWRQ4MRxBuTNGi1EfqXG51TCHebFuSMvMR48j17AWXUJc/snake-mamba-green-mamba-toxic-38268.jpeg)