Happy Friday, y’all!
Today I want to share a pretty cool story from my friend, Terri. I’ve known Terri for ~7 years, and she’s one of the most authentic and bubbly people I’ve ever met.
Her story is about the sacrifices she made when starting her gratitude journey. It’s an awesome message. Enjoy!
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I read a story today about gratitude and felt a pit in my stomach. It touched an old wound from years ago.
Letting go is never easy.
After college I explored many religions and belief systems. I adopted the gratitude philosophy. Then a funny thing happened. People stopped wanting to hang around me. When I noticed a huge loss of so called friends in my life, I reached out and started to ask. What happened?
They found me “irritating“. Called me a “Pollyanna“. Told me that being around me made them feel bad about themselves because I was so “positive“. One person told me they thought I’d become a fake. That I was trying to be something I wasn’t.
The truth is, I was more myself then I had ever been before. My true nature was to be positive and grateful. I had just allowed myself to degrade into something I wasn’t.
I had found myself…… And that projection intimidated those who already knew me.
I ended up losing touch with most of the people that were in my circle at the time. And that was painful. Saying goodbye to old friends.
But I was also saying goodbye to an old me. One that didn’t serve me anymore.
Eventually, I gained new friends. People that saw the world the way I did. Friends that allowed the humanity of complaint to raise its ugly head upon occasion. And friends that allowed me to work through the process of getting back to gratitude.
It’s hard to walk a singular path. Aloneness is not our nature.
But sometimes we have to be willing to shed the skin that doesn’t fit anymore….. to take the next step with confidence and certainty that the new layers ARE things to be grateful for…. and if those around you cannot embrace the change, then perhaps it’s time to shed them too.
😉
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Thanks for sharing, Terri. I’m glad you found your true self, and even happier that it lead to me being one of your new friends!
Have a great weekend peeps!
– Joel
*Pic up top by Sabrina May