Few things in life hurt me more than hearing a friend of mine has been talking about me, particularly about things that are incredibly painful or personal. I suppose as we get older our circle of friends becomes smaller and it’s because we realize that we can’t keep everyone in our lives like we hoped we would. Some people care more about spreading gossip than they do about how they make their friends feel when they do it. I don’t have a place for people like that in my life anymore.

It’s so hard for me not to let what other people say about me define who I am. I don’t enjoy being not liked or hurting others. Many times, too easily, I allow people who hold no significance in my life to take from who I am and hinder the person I have come to be. I will let what I hear someone says about me that does not reflect who I truly am have so much power that I let it define me for a little while and I sulk in it.

I learn new things every day and try to learn things from every experience. This morning I went on a walk, still very angry and hurt. I finally came to some new conclusions for my life based off this one silly little incident that hurt me a lot more than I imagined it would. I hope that maybe sharing them with whoever cares to read this will be helpful for you too:

People who sincerely care about me and deserve to be in my life will not attempt to bring me down. They won’t judge me the way others in my past have judged me. They will love me for who I am mistakes and all.

I have to remember every single day to take the time to remind myself of who I’ve come to be on my own terms, not who other people have made me out to be, especially people who don’t know me.

If I judge others or talk about others the same way they do about me, I’m no better than them. I need to remember to respect the people who come into my life.

People can only take from me what I allow them to take from me. If I let other people define who I am, I am giving them the power to direct where my path will lead.