Find Your Tribe, 2.20.18

The following videos popped up on my facebook feed this week, which was kind of a coincidence, since I had written about the exact same thing in my journal the week before. I took this as a sign that it was time for a little blogging ;)

The first clip is very short.

The second one is a little longer, but may end up being the most well-spent 36 minutes of your day. If you don't have 36 minutes, though, the last 5 minutes is when it really gets to the point of just being yourself and being true to who you are or who you are becoming, even if that means taking the risk of standing alone, at least for a while.

M. and I have been talking a lot about how much your attitude and outlook can change and how much you can accomplish in your life when you surround yourself with people who believe in you, who encourage you, who want you to be better, who support you, who only want the best for you; people who, if you fail at something, have unwavering confidence in you that you will pick yourself up and move on. Please, if you don't have this in your life, go find these people!

If you're lucky, you don't have to search beyond your own family or circle of friends. Sometimes, though, you have to make it happen. And sometimes a lot of hard decisions and difficult changes have to be made to make it happen. You may just have to do this once in your life, but sometimes you have to keep making adjustments. Along the way, as you are moving through your life, finding your "tribe", there will, inevitably, be people who may not want you to succeed, or improve or be happy. They just want you to be who they want you to be; they just want you to be the same way you have always been; they just want you to be like them. But, they want this for them. Not for you. So, you have to be aware and make a conscious effort to move away from the people who are wrong for you, who aren't looking for the best in you and in themselves and seek out the ones who get you, who align with who you are and who are only and always there to encourage you to be your best. I remember having to do this for the first time when I was 14 years old. At age 14, I knew that where my friends were going, was not a place I wanted to go.  So, I made a change. And that change meant that I lost all of my old friends. It was rough. Looking back on that, I think it was a lesson that I needed to learn early on, to prepare me for similar moments that would happen later in my life. And, as a teacher, it gives me a perfect personal example of the quote, "Show me your friends and I'll show you your future", that I have repeated more times than I can remember over the past 13 years in my classroom.

So, go find your people, if you don't already have them. And have the courage to be yourself, even if that means being the "weirdo" and even if that means that you may be standing alone for a while. Your tribe will appear. Then, chances are, you will become one of the inspired, light bringers and magic makers for someone else ;)

I hope this puts a positive spin on your week! Have a great one!

As always... Be Still. Be Strong. & Be Happy.   Juli

P.S. My Valentine's Day card this year. Yes, I have found my fellow weirdo! (Who happens to also be my light bringer and world shifter.)