Never confuse someone’s taking advantage as space for you to make an effort. Draw a line in the sand and don’t let anyone lead you over it. You’d be surprised how quickly having nothing to lose turns into being swindled out of everything you have.

Apathy on someone else’s part is not your call to action. Sometimes you’ve done all you can. Spinning tires in the mud won’t get you anywhere any faster, even if it seems like a few more seconds will do the trick. The best pitfalls are alluring, attractive. There will be many moments when you’re enticed to return. You can take comfort each time in knowing that you’ve seen how it ends. A trap by any other name still seeks to ensnare you.

Don’t fall prey to the Stockholm syndrome of your own heart. Look past the marbled surface of things, find their substance. Innocuous things hurt us everyday. They may not be toxic but they sure aren’t good for us either. When you see them coming your way, just let them go.