The topic of toxic friendships has come up in my conversations at many different levels lately. I've struggled in the past with friendships that I feel like aren't providing any value to my life and I worry sometimes that my loyalty overshadows relationships that have become lifeless.
At a gorgeous sunset dinner to celebrate a friend's birthday last night the topic came up again about the amount of work that goes into a friendship and when it's time to cut your losses.
And of course there's the ever prevalant struggle of building professional success without allowing it to overshadow the significance of my personal life and the gift of family.
How poignant that today I would receive a note from a very esteemed colleague that touches on the very same thing. I am inserting the text exactly as I received it so I won't take any credit (or not) for the writing. The grammar and formatting are much less important to me than the message itself.
"If the people close to you are dragging you down, then it may be time to make some changes."
Speaker Joe Larson remarked, "My friends didn't believe that I could become a successful speaker. So I did something about it. I went out and found me some new friends!"
When you really think about it, the things that matter most in life are the relationships we develop.
REMEMBER:
You may build a beautiful home, but eventually it will crumble.
You may develop a fine career, but one day it will be over.
You may save a great sum of money, but you can't take it with you.
You may be in superb health today, but in time it will decline.
You may take pride in your accomplishments, but someone will surpass you.
Discouraged? Don't be, for the one thing that really matters, lasts forever - your friendships.
Life is too long to spend it with people who pull you in the wrong direction. And it's too short not to invest in others. Your relationships will define you. And they will influence your talent - one way or the other. Choose wisely.
"IF THE PEOPLE CLOSE TO YOU AREN'T ADDING VALUE TO YOUR LIFE, CONSIDER MAKING SOME NEW FRIENDS." - John Maxwell
4 comments:
Not an easy but very important thing to do. Thanks for sharing this.
Been doing some soul searching lately and have weeded out a few of these that do not add value to my life and bring me down. I was feeling bad about it, so thanks for the uplifting post today!
So true...love the way your coworker put it. It's hard to have a friend breakup, but sometimes so worth it.
I think Oprah referred to those friends as "drains" one time b/c they drain you of all motivation, happiness, and pride. I've also heard them referred to as frenemies. Life is just so much simple without them.
This is so true. I've had friends come and go in my life but I have four true friends that have been with me since high school. I believe they will be my bffs forever.
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