Some years in our lives are oversaturated with emotions and as much as we want only positive ones, there are times when this is not entirely the case. I can consider last year being one of those periods for me and I had to go through a lot of changes. Even though I prefer to discuss only nice, happy topics, I also reminded myself that this lifestyle blog was developed with the primary goal of being an inspirational source for people around the globe. It is simple; hardships could be also motivational if we really look at them in a more philosophical way. As much as we try to deny it, tough times have sometimes a refreshing effect on us, especially if we start appreciating life more afterwards…not only the happy moments, but also the normal, everyday moments because they are equally if not even more precious. It might sound like a complete cliché but last year I really understood how valuable our time is. It is sad that I understood this concept better because I lost, in fact, two people who I loved dearly. On the bright side, at least I learned something from it. If we try to find those lessons even during tough times, then we have the chance to reflect and change our lives for the better after that. I lost a lot and I gained a lot in a course of only one year. It was easy to stay trapped in a negative place, but I decided that I need to bring balance back to my life. I intentionally wanted to start gaining positive emotions. It is understandable that people deal with unfortunate situations differently, but the best advice I can give is just to start creating a better place for yourself in your own mind, provoke the good and everything will go back to its balanced state. This post does not have the intention to provide advices on how to deal with loss, but rather to make you think about your current situation and your desired one. When I faced those difficulties, I took two very important decisions which were to remove from my life anything and anyone who does not bring me enough joy as well as to pursue tirelessly what makes me happy. I thought that I have implemented those rules in my life and I sure did to a certain extent, but when I truly realized that I do not have time to waste I became extremely focused on my own time and happiness. Those two very simple decisions had a domino effect on my life for good.
First, I thought I was honest enough, but now I am painfully honest, with myself including. This honesty made me realize that I need to change my path. I knew that there are far better and greater things for me only if I decide to act on them. I am not going to lie or simplify it…it took me months to reach that state and keep in mind that I have always analysed myself and concepts such as personal growth and change are not foreign to me. I thought I lived my life this way and I did, but maybe only at 85%. Now I feel more free than ever because I spent enough time on determining what I want, why I want it, what are my priorities, how I really see myself in a few months/ years. Finally, I think I received a certain clarity which made it possible for me to create a plan and now it is entirely up to me to get where I want. In other words, be patient because reaching a certain level of awareness takes time and lots of work. The impact on your life, however, could be tremendous.
Second, the effect that the whole process had on me made me remove many people from my friends list. Once you realize that your time is precious, you start devoting it to people who are always there for you and would love to see you not only happy, but successful…those are the people who are worth your time. Anybody else who I felt that I was forced to behave nicely around for whatever reason or “friends” whose company drained my energy, people who are not on the same page with me or even old friendships that were not functional any more…it all just came to an end. Do I have regrets about it? Absolutely not! It might have been inconvenient and even sad to let go of certain people, but it is for better…you need only people in your life who need you as well.
Sometimes life brings you unexpected and unpleasant surprises, but what matters in my eyes is what you will get out of it. The encouraging part of the story is that it depends entirely on us. I hope you will not need to go through hardships in order to grasp those concepts and apply them to your own life, but even if you encounter them under some form…learn from it as much as you can and never…never underestimate your inner strength.
Keep it stylish inside out.
Sofiya
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