The company you keep matters
I want to invite you to take a little inventory of the company you’re keeping.
Did your mom say things like this to you when you were a kid? You’d meet somebody at school or bring them around and she’d say. “I don’t want you hanging out with them. That’s not good company to keep.” Whatever she saw in them, it was something she didn’t want you to be susceptible to. Her encouragement would be not to spend much time with that person.
I think this concept totally rings true for us as adults. And yet, it can be really easy to fall into habitual patterns and find ourselves hanging out with people because we don’t really question it. We get into a habit and it’s just what we do.
A longtime friend of mine was recently expressing some challenges she’s having in a particular friendship. Based on the conversation, she’s outgrown it but doesn’t know how to end it.
A lot of times if we’re in a romantic relationship that’s not working, we break up. But, how often do we break up with friends (or even service providers or people we’ve been working with or seeing for a long time)?
Maybe who we got to be in that relationship worked for a certain time, but it doesn’t work anymore. In fact, it’s feeling constraining or limiting in some way to be in the relationship.
Either that relationship needs to transform so that you can show up differently, or you need to find a way to end or leave the relationship.
What about you? What’s happening for you in your relationships? Do you have any that you’ve outgrown? Do you feel a little stuck as to how to get out of it? Or maybe you’re really interested in keeping the relationship, but you see that it needs to change in some way—which probably includes a somewhat uncomfortable but necessary conversation.
The company you keep matters. The energy of the people you surround yourself with matters. It will influence how you see yourself, how you see life, what you believe to be possible. It matters.
So, I invite you to take a quick inventory.
Who are the people you’re spending the most time with?
Who do you get to be when you’re with them?
Do you like that expression of yourself?
Are there relationships that have expired and need to end?
Are there relationships you’re committed to but they need to transform so that you can show up more fully and freely as yourself?
Take some time to reflect on that, and I’d love to hear from you. If you find that some of those things need to happen and you’re not quite sure what steps to take and you’d like some support, reach out to me. That’s what I do. I help people true up their lives and their relationships to their heart and what they care about and what really matters most to them.
See ya next time!