Personal or Professional?

I've had a history of this...my impression of someone - even a very good friend - can change instantly if I have had a poor professional experience with them. My mental image and the memories I have of them automatically conjure up a bad taste in my mouth and all sorts of negative feelings.

I guess I've always had problems separating personal and professional... but is it wrong? I place a lot of value on professional integrity and competence... both leave a strong impression on me and lead me to truly respect people. I have a holistic way of seeing people and it gets difficult for me to separate their professional and personal selves. But why should I separate them when the two should go hand in hand, right? Your professional self is a reflection of who you are as a person... or so it should be... perhaps I am just idealistic.

Anyway, I don't like pointing out examples - sensitive to peoples feelings on the web. However seeing myself in past experiences, I do forgive and sometimes try hard to forget the bad taste. And always, I like to remember the lesson I learn from each encounter.