Workplace relationships are just too exhausting... A 'certain perspective' I realized after 7 years (Part 3)

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##3. I hadn't realized it, but my 'eye' for people had already developed by then

"Huh? This person is kind of like [Name] from my previous job..."
There was a moment when I thought that after changing jobs and starting at a new workplace.

Someone who speaks softly but subtly tries to assert dominance.
Someone who is overly concerned with 'what others think,'
but when they make a mistake, they skillfully push the blame onto someone else.

The old me might have just let it slide, thinking, 'Well, people like that exist.'
But for some reason, that time, it clicked in my mind,

'Oh, if I get involved with this person, I'm going to get worn down again.'

Before I knew it, I had become able to sense the 'vibe of a dangerous person.'
Little turns of phrase, slight discrepancies in reactions,
I had become sensitive to those small feelings of unease.

For example, someone saying, 'That person is so kind, right?' while
only talking about people who aren't there, or
saying 'Let's work hard together' while being the only one to leave early.

I guess my sensors had just grown.
During those seven years in a toxic workplace, my 'unconscious ability to observe people' had skyrocketed.

And you know, it wasn't just a trauma response.

One day, a colleague said this:
'Wait, you were wary of [Name] from the very beginning? That's amazing...'
At that moment, I thought, 'Oh, maybe this is a kind of power.'

Even though I was being worn down every day by workplace relationships and
thinking, 'I can't take this anymore...',
that experience had built up into an eye for judging people.

By spending time in a toxic environment,
my 'ability to notice when something is off about someone' had been sharpened.

Of course, at the time, I couldn't see it in such a positive light.
But looking back now, I can state with certainty that 'if I hadn't had that experience, I wouldn't be who I am today.'

The reason I could feel it wasn't a waste was
because that experience had truly become part of my flesh and blood.

So, how was that 'eye' developed?
In the next chapter, I will write about the catalyst and the process.