Dealing with people in the public realm can be a challenge. Each day, it's possible to run into people who are rude, critical, or downright mean. Your natural inclination may be to be rude and nasty right back. But, if you have let yourself mirror their behavior before, you know that you don't feel good about yourself when the day is done.

It's much better to not take it personally. To do that, use empathy and reason. Reason tells you that this person doesn't know you, so it's definitely not personal. Empathy tells you that such a person's lack of civility could be because his or her life's experiences have hurt them deeply.

I know of two groups of this type of abusive people. Here's how I understand them: There's one group who lives life in "fight mode." From their life's experiences, it's what they use as protection against the world. They want to appear big and strong. They want to hurt you before you hurt them. It may be hard for you and me to understand, but the other group of mean people "choose" to be that way. These people, too, are hurting, and their life's experiences have somehow made them "want" to be mean.

If you are motivated to be successful with your personal development, treat all people with kindness, gentleness and civility no matter how disagreeable they are. Don't take it personally. You never know what a difference you could make in their lives if you treat them with care. It could cause them to look inward. That's a great gift to give someone, you know? Looking inward is the starting point of a whole new world!