The Danger of Gossip

The Danger Of Gossip

It’s been said, knowledge is power. Unfortunately, many people like to spread damaging information or intimate details about others, whether true or NOT. 

This is what is called gossip. 

People use gossip to hurt people, to try and tear people down, in order to feel good about themselves, and to feel like they have power over others. Some people seem to thrive on it.‍

The most dangerous part about gossip is that it steals another person’s reputation. A reputation is very fragile. When you gossip, you are helping to destroy something extremely valuable. 

If you think it’s time for you to decide you don’t want to have any part of gossip, here are some tips on how to do that.

1. Make a commitment,  you’re not going to gossip. Even though the temptation to gossip is powerful, you will always win when you choose not to use it. And really, with all gossip, there’s no way of knowing for sure what is true or not.

2. Don’t listen to others when they gossip. Gossip grows an audience. You simply being there listening, adds to its appeal. If someone starts to tell you something gossipy, say, I’m sorry, but I don’t feel comfortable talking about this person when they’re not here to defend themselves. Not only will you break the gossip chain, but you also will gain the trust of other people, as someone who won’t spread rumours.

3. Don’t judge people based on gossip. If you should hear gossip about someone you don’t know, you have two choices: allow the gossip to determine what you believe, or let your own personal experience determine what you think. The first time you have an experience with someone that is contrary to the gossip you’ve heard, you’ll be a lot more careful about spreading or believing gossip the next time you hear it.

4.  Think before you speak. Before you repeat something you’ve heard about another person, think: does this really do any good for me to spread this information? Or am I just trying to be in the know? Is the information even true? Could I be hurting someone by telling this, even if it’s true? If the person you are talking to is not part of the problem, or part of the solution, there’s no need to tell them anything.

5.  Stay away from people who gossip to you because guess what - they will gossip about you too. Don’t associate with people who find such great joy in belittling others. Be very careful about what you choose to tell these people. If it’s a close friend, you might consider saying how you want to stop spreading gossip, and that you’d really like her help.

There’s an old saying, stick and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me. That’s not true. Being gossiped about can be extremely painful. If you don’t want it done to you, don’t do it to others. In the end, it never pays to gossip.

I see far too many women try and pull other women down.  At #teamtash we will not stand for this -about myself, my team or our members, this is not what we are about, - and yes I’ve told people their journey is over with us because of the way they have behaved towards others/ me/members, for this reason some people don’t have the nicest things to say about me- I have even been harassed which was horrible/scary  and weird but this doesn’t worry me because I’ve stayed true to who I am and what this studio is about - we are inclusive, non-judgemental and supportive safe studio.  Plus if they are talking about me they are leaving someone else alone right! 

Remember when women support women magic things happen.