Without a doubt, everyone reading this has known someone who exerts a damaging influence on their life. Sometimes it's the people who should be closest to us, such as family or friends, sometimes it's colleagues. They can also be very clever, so that we fail to realise the harm they are doing. Here are some tips on how to spot them.
They undermine what you're trying to achieve, often through jealousy. If you are trying to lose weight or give up smoking, they will encourage you to eat cakes or keep offering you cigarettes. If you're planning a trip, they'll tell you problems with your destination. Deal with this by maintaining your position ("Kind of you to offer, but I really don't want one, thanks", or "Don'