Sometimes in life it’s easy to forget what you should really be focused on. An example of that would be the way that I use my blog. Obviously I created this blog in order to monetize it in a way that I could be compensated and also still share value to the people who read it.
However, it’s almost like I forgot that one of the primary reasons that I decided to make this blog is because #1 I like to write and #2 sometimes I feel almost like writing is therapeutic. Sometimes we get all caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, especially when it comes to money.
Now don’t get me wrong, I feel the same way as Zig Ziglar when he said, “Money isn’t everything, but it ranks right up there with oxygen!” My point I’m trying to make is that sometimes we become consumed with certain things in our lives that we actually start to neglect other realms of our lives that are equally as, if not more important than the thing that’s consuming our attention.
Tonight I was on the phone with a business partner of mine and he kept complimenting me on my speaking skills. I personally do not feel that I am the greatest speaker in the world obviously, but I do think that I’m an okay writer.
Anyhow, the thing that came to mind was the fact that sometimes we have to grab and hang on to the belief of others when our belief is not strong. I don’t run with many people at all, and the ones that I do talk to frequently are always pushing me to do better. Not pushing me to do things that could jeopardize me or my future.
It is so critical to understand and realize early on in our lives the value of a true friend. Even more importantly it’s vital that you know how to decipher the difference between a true friend, a fair-weather friend, and an imposter.
A true friend is the one who tells you like it is, not what you want to hear. A true friend is constantly looking to push you to the next level, not because they want to gain from your success but because they care.
Also, a true friend many times will see things in you that you cannot see for yourself. A true friend is someone who will answer the phone at 5 in the morning and come and get you out of a jam without asking questions or breathing hard about it.
A true friend is also not an enabler. I think that when we are young and naive that we tend to feel like the enablers are some of our best friends when in fact they are actually some of the most negative people that we could possibly have around.
A person who is willing to supply us with things that we really don’t need, even though we may want them, is not a good friend. An example of that is the friend who constantly offers you food when you’re on a diet.
A person who continually offers you drugs when you are trying to get clean, or a person who offers you alcohol 5 minutes after you telling them you have been going to AA meetings is not a good friend.
Ultimately it’s up to you decide which friends you have in your life that are true friends and which ones are toxic. I hope that you take inventory and figure that out as soon as possible because it could be the one thing that’s stopping you from getting to where you truly want to be.
God Bless…
