How I learned to mind my own business: I was walking past the Mental Hospital the other day and heard all the patients shouting, “13…13…13.” The fence was too high to see over, but I saw a little gap in the planks, so I looked through to see what was going on. Some idiot poked me in the eye with a stick, then they all started shouting, “14…14…14.”
The preceding anecdote illustrates why it’s important to mind your own business. Our lives are surrounded by drama (family, friends, neighbors, etc.). Don’t complicate your professional life by getting involved in Office Politics. It’s easy to get sucked in to the latest office rumor or by a coworker’s personal dilemma. After all, we spend the bulk of waking hours with these people and we want to do our best to get along, to fit in. However, if you get too involved you’re liable to get hurt.
I’m not saying you should be anti-social. What I’m saying is, you need to exercise common sense and judgment before getting too involved in things that don’t concern you. One of the keys to a long and happy professional life is leaning when to mind your own business.