No matter how much we think we can do it all alone, we all need support. I grew up without friends, was bullied throughout school, and had a critical mother. So I know what lack of support feels like. It’s not somewhere I want to return to. I’m fortunate enough to have several good friends now, who support me and put me straight when needed. I hope you do too.
I know there are a lot of people who don’t have the support of their family, and those who don’t have many friends (if any at all). But if you’re one of those people, I want you to try and find a couple of new acquaintances this week. They might turn out to be very good friends. I’m not saying that you should approach the first person you see on the street. I want you to keep an eye open for people you find interesting, and if the opportunity is there, to strike up a conversation. It might be at work, on the bus, in the grocery store, at daycare, in class or anywhere for that matter.
Making friends requires that you make an effort to get to know people. If you do have friends, but they don’t support you, I want you to think this through; Are they really your friends if they don’t support you? By support, I don’t mean that they should agree with everything you do, or that they should always be sweet. I mean that they should be there when you need someone to lean on or to talk to and tell it to you straight when you need advice. If you want to start a journey towards your ideal life, you’re going to need support. It’s pretty much impossible to get there on your own.
As we move through life, I notice that I need to surround myself with people of like mind with whom I can form synergies. People who “get” me and will support me in good times and bad. This was a great post!
I’ve had a similar experience, finding a need for likeminded people, and I have less and less patience for those who drain me or try to control me.
Hi Linda
Great post.
True friends will always support us and be there for us, but sometimes our needs change and we kind of grow out of our friends – that is hard when we grow apart from someone who we were once close to – but that is the same in every relationship I suppose, and you just have to decide whether it is worth fighting for or whether to move on.
Thanks for making me think about this
Sue
Yes, that is hard. I’m glad you liked it.
D’you know, these days my real-life friends – even those in Ireland – mostly live too far away to see regularly, so I lean very much on the internet. The support I get online from far-away friends is just as real 🙂 Having said that, one of my new year’s resolutions is to make new friends in my own area this year. Sometimes you just need a *real* hug!
Most of my friends are far away as well, you for example, and I feel the same. I actually get a lot more and better support from them, than from some local people. I do have a few local friends as well, thank the gods, which do support me. Making new friends is a great resolution, and yes, sometimes you need a physical hug 🙂