Growing up, I learned at a very young age to always be the bigger person. Being the bigger person would be more rewarding then retaliating at someone who was in the wrong. My mom taught me that being able to walk away from an argument, instead of giving into someone else's’ bullshit would help me grow as a person. I realized that not every fight is worth the battle - not every person is worth my energy. It was hard. But I found the strength to be able to walk away.

Everyone at some point, will have to deal with the type of person that when talking to them, you must bite your tongue so you’re not able to say what you’re really thinking. This may be your boss, professor, coach, or even a friend. Your boss may be a bitch, but you need that job. Your professor might be over demanding, but you need to pass that class. Your coach might not be the best leader, but you need to be playing on that team in order to get noticed by the scouts.

There are times when we need to be the bigger person. Sometimes, we have to suck it up, and deal with the situation that we’re in, in order to get to the next chapter of our lives. You can’t always give up when someone is being mean to you. You can’t always quit your job, when your boss isn’t being particularly nice. You are going to come across situations in life, where you’re going to need to decide if it’s worth the fight.

But, there is a fine line between being the bigger person, and getting taken advantage of. Sometimes being the bigger person gets misconstrued, and you end up getting walked on by those who think they are better than you. You might come across someone in the workplace, that will use the amount of power they have to their advantage. You might come across someone who is not treating you with the respect you deserve. You might come across someone that is overall, a bully.

If someone is degrading you of your beliefs and values, it is time to take yourself out of that situation. Whether that may be in your workplace, at your school, on the court, or in your personal life. Stand up for yourself, and stop letting someone walk all over you - no matter who that person might be.

So, there will be times in your life where you will need to bite your tongue. You will need to deal with it when your boss is having a bad day, and is mean to you. You’ll have to put up with a lot of people like this in the world. But, the people you don’t have to put up with are the ones who take advantage of you. You don’t have to deal with the type of people that use their power to scare you. Always remember, you don’t have to be around people that don’t respect you.