Five things my relationships have taught me
They say February is the month where love is always in the air. Heck, we dedicate a whole day to celebrating love. But love can come from many types of relationships whether it be a significant other, family, friends, co-workers…
So for this blog, in no particular order, I thought I’d share the five things my relationships have taught me over time:
Be curious but know your boundaries
A few weeks ago, I was sitting through a keynote presentation where the speaker asked us, what word would we use to describe ourselves. I immediately thought of the word CURIOUS. It’s the word that I believe best describes who I am. To be honest I’m surprised I didn’t end up in the investigative line of work. I’ve always been the type to want to know more, seek the reasons why and “dig deeper”, but you have to know where to best channel that curiosity. Our explorations can lead us through many journeys we will take, but as the saying goes, “curiosity killed the cat” we have to understand our boundaries as well. We may have free reign to do whatever we want, but it should never come at the cost of hurting or disappointing others.
Surround yourself with those that challenge you
I asked a friend the other day, is it bad to have a nemesis? To which she responded, not really — nemesis can be people you believe challenge you. I had never thought it that way since the word always seemed to have a negative connotation, but if you go with the above definition, I encourage you to have your own nemesis. A little competition never hurt anybody right? By surrounding yourself with people that challenge you, you are pledging to continue to bring out the best in you and push your limits.
Change is inevitable but it’s a good thing
I LOVE change, I think it spices up life a little bit. There is no fun in knowing every move and what it will result in. Have you ever been on a rollercoaster and prepared for every twist, turn, loop, or dip? It would take the fun out of the ride? Relationships are somewhat similar to me, if they become too predictable, it takes the excitement out of the future. Change keeps us on our toes and moving. Now, with that being said, it doesn’t have to be a drastic change, little things go a long way! Sometimes change your hairstyle to try a new look, so why not try new things or take a new path to explore something new?
We all want the same thing: Respect, Trust, Support, and Love
Not going to lie, I kind of stole this one from a movie — the line that is. Relationships are a two-way stream, but at the end of the day at the baseline, we are all hoping for the same thing. We all want to be treated with the same respect that we give others. We want the people around us to support us in w.e. adventures we want to go on without any judgment. We want them to show us what it feels like to be loved so we can give them the same feeling. All of this leads to building trust in those relationships — the one thing that we must all cherish the most.
Embrace the independence
Just because we have various types of relationships in our life, doesn’t mean we have to lose our independence. You relationships bring out our different personality traits, but they all make us who we are as individuals. Embracing that independence allows you to be your own person and grow :)
