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I tend to not think of anyone trying to manipulate me but at times a very self-serving agenda becomes evident. This is what manipulation generally is…. a self-serving agenda where the other person feels used with no reciprocity.

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It was a Saturday night when I found myself riverside at a bright and raging bonfire.

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Lots of credit goes to the old, familiar tricks, but few people take the time to stop and recognize the newer tricks in the book. Sure, they may lack the simple elegance of that trick where you point at a stain on someone’s shirt and then poke that person in the face when they look, but there are plenty of modern ploys, dupes, and cons that rival them in effectiveness.

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Everybody has been given bad news and has had to share bad news. Nobody breaks bad news well, and for that they should probably be forgiven—being “the bearer” is no easy task. However, there is one approach that absolutely drives me insane and which I would like to stop.