I have been working with Thrive Global in Romania for almost 5 months (of course, Interact is still a big part of my life, as well as all the causes in which I am involved). The mission of this organization is to help reduce stress and burnout in organizations. I resonated with this mission, especially since in the last year and a half, stress has enormously affected many people.

My manager, (because I also have a manager, here, after so many years :), told me several times that I have to stop working at night, that I have to ‘walk the talk’, to breathe Thrive style. I don’t work at 1 o’clock at night because someone forces me to, but because when I collaborate with people from other continents, I want to communicate with them when they wake up, in the morning, to reply to emails, to get some projects going. It doesn’t stress me. I have some goals, I have some reasons I do what I do.
But when we talk about balance, about cutting out burnout, stress, I would rather look at other aspects. I know that I am one of those who will always work hard, will always find projects to get involved in, noble causes. But it matters who I work with, what people I have around me, as it probably matters to many of us.


I often notice a high level of negativity, aggression, neglect, lack of assuming, rapid giving up.
I had a negative experience recently. I wanted to buy 3 peaches. The salesman was not at the stall,he had gone to the car to get something. I took a plastic bag and put the 3 peaches, careful not to touch any other peach, to keep hygiene. When the salesman came, he caused me a monstrous scandal because I allowed myself to take the bag (the bags were hung on a nail next to the fruit), accusing me that I could steal his money, that he was in charge there, who do I think I am,all in one, an amazing gratuitous aggression. His tone would certainly have annoyed even the most relaxed. I was calm, reserved; I asked him to use a different tone, I said that if I was wrong, I did not have this intention. I apologized, suggested that it is good to overcome the moment. No and no, he seemed mad. I left with an apparent calmness, but I can’t say that this scene didn’t upset me for an hour or two.


However, such aggressive and disrespectful behaviors can be also found in companies.
Of course, we can all be wrong. We all have bad days, something happens that can stress us and we can have inappropriate behaviors, aggressive tone, arrogance, insecurities transformed into self-sufficiency, angular style.
But the only people who accept us anyway are our parents. They have nowhere to go, we are the project of their lives and they cannot give up on us.
But the rest of the people are not obliged to bear us. Everyone enters a conversation, a relationship, of whatever kind it is, with its own history, its own events, with the associated events in its life, with its concerns and worries. If we act too hard, the other will warn us, they will tell us, if we are lucky, that we have skidded, but they will not tolerate us too much. They will leave without buying the peaches, they will not return our call, they will turn their back on us, they will go and close the door either for a while or forever after them.


Statements like ‘this is me, you have to accept me the way I am’ are a way to hide our inability to polish our steep, rough style, arrogance, lack of self-education, elegance, discretion.
Maybe I’ve been paying more attention to these issues since I promoted the Thrive philosophy. Maybe I’m trying to demonstrate to myself the behaviors I support. Maybe I’m tired of dealing with rude attitudes. Maybe I became less tolerant of these behaviors with age. Or maybe, simply, we should try to be more attentive to how we manifest, to consider others. The attitude of slave masters is obsolete, related to the old textbooks about the ‘uncivilization’ of humankind, which some want to bring to the present day.