It's so easy, when life gives you lemons, which it undoubtedly will do from time to time, to get down on yourself and start wondering, "what am I doing wrong?" I think we are all conditioned to immediately think that if we were only smarter, more attractive, more active, or better at whatever seems to be our hang up at the time, that these bad things in life just wouldn't happen to us...and that we could coast along in this little bubble, feeling good and content indefinitely.
The more I get out and spend some time exploring the world, the more I meet people from different countries, different walks of life, and different mindsets and beliefs. I have been so fortunate to meet people who constantly challenge my world and expand my understanding of life, purpose, adventure, and interpersonal relationships, while encouraging me to not get down on myself, but to dream big. It has been smashed into the back of 12 passenger vans, hopping the Burmese or Malaysian border, sleeping outside of train stations with squatters, or climbing rocks in Flagstaff, Arizona that I've met unexpected people who have dropped "truth bombs" on me. (Zach, my old debate partner and I used to love to talk about truth bombs or pieces of knowledge that, when told to a listener, are devastating to the listener's argument or world view - definition borrowed from urbandictionary.com). What is amazing and unbelievable about this world is that anyone has the ability to drop bombs of truth - truth bombs, if you will. That is sort of a side note, but the moral is that not only does each person in this world have the ability to be a teacher, but that this world is filled with incredible people who we should seek out to enrich our lives. We should never stop learning or pursuing the "ah-hah" moments when our world views are expanded or challenged, and we should be open to the right types of bombs - truth bombs that is.
It has always been my belief that - "Life is too short not to surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you". The reality is that we are products of nature and nurture; children in the sense that we are growing and learning constantly in an alien world. It is okay to be selfish when it comes to who we choose to spend our time with. I'm not a 40 year old trying to make it work for the kids. I'm a 20 something who is trying to find myself and strive for something more.
Positive and passionate people inspire positivity and passion in your own life. They help you challenge the mundane by inspiring you to seek out your potential - mostly because they tend to have some sort of awesome plan/project going on and that type of energy is infectious! It's all about the swagga and I am a firm believer that if you are struggling to find your "swagga" or one's own unique style or personality that sets them apart from anyone else, (again, thank you urbandictionary.com - in fact Urban Dictionary might be the only word source I choose to reference from this point forward :) haha) the easiest thing you can do is think critically about the people you are surrounding yourself with. Do people around you bring positivity and passion to your life? That means in all senses - do people add drama to your life with negativity or do they encourage you to push the boundaries and explore the possibilities? Do you do that for other people?
When life gives you lemons, you can be down on yourself or you can listen to Atmosphere and "paint that shit gold". It can be a time to be down or it can be a time for you to grow. The great thing about filling your life with people who bring out the best in you is that they tend to encourage you to take each road block as an opportunity to head a new direction...or hurdle! - who knows. I believe that if you're feeling like you've lost your swagga and want to get it back, you have to think about what type of life you want to live and then if people around you are conducive to living passionately.
Life is too short not to surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you. It can be one person who makes you want to be a better person or a new group of people who encourage you to grab hold of opportunities you might have otherwise been afraid to reach for. I try to be a positive person and be someone who encourages others, but I know that I would not be where I am today if it wasn't for a little bit of swagga/truth bombs learned from/dropped by amazing people along the way.
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