I'm typing this and trying not to be irritated. I just had this beautiful post written, and when I went to publish it, the page refreshed and gave me a poor connection notification and my entire beautiful post was gone. That's what happens when we don't save as we go my friends.
So here I am starting over. I will say, the more I type, the better I feel about losing that content, maybe there was something in there that wasn't meant to be read or seen by the world. Perhaps that was just my saving grace.
Oh well, either way I'm still going to write, but I refuse to admit that I let something like that defeat me/win. I love Sundays. I honestly think they are my favorite day of the week because I look at it like, if I had a shitty week last week, I can take whatever it was that was shitty about it, and leave it behind and start all over on Sunday, and perhaps do something better this week than I did last week so I can have a more positive outlook on my day to day M-Sat life. Which is why I also think I feel inspired to write on Sundays, and why I have a hard time finding any other day the week to do that besides Sundays, but I'll digress from this Sunday topic && get back to it later because what I REALLY wanted to talk about today is sticking with the winners.
If you follow me on instagram then you know that I share a daily quote from my bloom daily calendar most mornings. Yesterday's talked about surrounding yourself with people who reflect what you want to be, I went on to talk about how I learned in early sobriety the saying "stick with the winners" because it was imperative in this phase of sobriety to connect with people who are going in the same direction as you so that you will continue to move in the direction/down the path you wish to go.
I have now successfully been sober for 10 years, so there has to be some truth to that, and even more so, there are other areas of my life in which I have surrounded myself with like minded people so that I can continue to grow, so I do believe that applying this principle to all facets of our lives is so important, because ultimately we are going to be influenced by the people who are in our lives in some form or fashion, whether we realize it or not.
These are just examples of ways that I have made changes and continue to make changes in my friend group in order to maintain serenity and growth in my life:
1. I do not hang out with people who drink and go out all of the time. Please know I do not pass judgement on you if this is your lifestyle, it's just not mine, and being sober is THE MOST important thing in my life, so protecting my sobriety is also super important. This doesn't mean I'll never hang out with you if you drink. I make time for non-sober friends, it's just not something I want to surround myself with on a daily basis, and if I do hang out with these friends it will be in a neutral setting, not typically a bar or a club, though I do like to go out occasionally.
2. I do not hang out with people who drain my energy and don't have the energy to pour back into me when I need it most. I try to surround myself with people who are encouraging and trying to work on themselves and grow just like me, so that I can have positive energy in my life and I'm not being dragged down. Now, if I have a really good friend who is in a low spot and they really need me, of course I will be there for them, as I know they would be there for me in the end.
3. I don't hang out with people who make me feel less than, insecure, make fun of me, don't support my dreams. This is a fact. If you make me feel insecure in any kind of way by something you say or do, I more than likely will cut you out of my life. I just don't have time for bullying. I already have enough negative self-talk in my head that I'm working out flushing out as it is, and don't need any outside negative talk added to the mix. Let your hates motivate you from the sidelines, not inside of the playing field.
4. I do not have time for petty drama. LOL. I seriously don't understand people who have reached my age and have still not figured out how to get rid of toxic people in their lives. I shouldn't laugh though, some people really don't know how or can't help it, and that's really just sad, but I swear if you come into my life, and you threaten my peace/serenity, GOODBYE.
I think those are just a few. I know that makes me sound harsh, but it's just so imperative, in my personal opinion, to surround ourselves with people who contribute to our success, who lift us up in times of need, who encourage to keep going when days are tough, and who feed our spirits with uplifting, positive vibes so that we can be pushed further towards our goals. It's really quite simple, I mean if you think about it like this: If you want to get better at running, do you seek advice/encouragement from people who sit on the couch and watch netflix every afternoon? Or do you ask people who are currently doing what you want to be doing? I would personally ask my friends who are runners for tips, tricks, ideas to help me become a better runner, because they have what I want, and they will help me keep pushing forward towards that final destination.
I think the biggest thing to remember at the end of the day is that YOU and YOU alone are responsible for WHO and WHAT you allow into your life, and the people who you surround yourself with/talk to on a daily basis play a HUGE part in how you are influenced whether they lift you up, contribute to your complacency, or drag you down, and YOU and YOU alone have the power to change those people. My dad used to always tell us when we were little "when you get older you will realize you only have a few TRUE friends in your life, and you will probably be able to count them on one hand" he was right, and the rest of the people are just acquaintances and visitors, and they can either make a huge impact for a short amount of time or a small one!
Choose to surround yourself with people who support, encourage, and love you. Don't let negative people drag ya down, STICK WITH THE WINNERS <3
Until next time,
xoxo Mishako
PS I'm still really sad because I don't think this post is nearly as good as the first one that I wrote, but it's okay, the point still gets across I hope. Happy Blog day! xoxo
Comments