Find your tribe!
There are always people who are going to put you down, take advantage of your goodness and kindness, disrespect your views & ideas and make you feel less than. They are not your tribe. Recognize the patterns of behavior of others towards you. Learn from experiences. Do not offer up yourself for more humiliation or ridicule by these people. Be friendly, but do not pour your heart out to them. The less you discuss your plans with such people the better you are going to be. Some people are driven by jealousy and envy. It takes an unhappy person to feel good about taking another person down. Limit your interactions with such people. Keep the conversations superficial, engage in social banter, but keep the things close to your heart for your real friends.
Recognize your worth: Appreciate yourself for all that you are. Recognize your talents, capabilities, and strengths. Be grateful for them. Nurture yourself, your health, and your skills. Even if you have any mental, physical, or even weight issues, learn to love yourself. For it is that body that carries you through the day and enables you to do all that you every day. Give thanks for it. It is only when you learn to appreciate yourself, that you start caring for yourself. Take time for self-care. That could be exercising, eating healthy, taking a spa day, spending time on things you love to do, whether it is reading a book, dancing, singing, painting, or whatever else. Look after your mind, body, and spirit. It is you and only you that can know what you need and do it for yourself.
The more you learn to recognize your needs and desires and what you want in life, the closer you get to be the real authentic version of yourself. The closer you get to stand in your light, the more powerful you become. And you attract the right people into your life — your tribe!
Be open to stepping out of your comfort zone. Be open to trying new things. If you like singing, join a choir, if you like dancing, join a dance class, or if you like reading, join a book club, you want to practice meditation or yoga join a group or class. The more you put yourself out there, the more likely you are to find your tribe.
Often times through life, we outgrow old friendships. It doesn’t mean there is any ill-feeling, it’s just that we move on with our present circumstances. We may connect from time to time, but it may not hold the same weight as it once did. Change is constant. When we get married or divorced our friend circle often changes, when we have kids, we may find we connect more with young parents like ourselves, when we are middle-aged and find the time to reconnect with who we want to be, we may outgrow some of our friends and find a new tribe. There is nothing wrong with that. We all grow and change constantly in our lifetime, and whatever stage we are at we find a new set of friends that connect with us at that particular time in our lives.
True friends will support you, be there for you when you need them. They will understand you and accept you with all your quirks. They will be honest with you and yet encourage you to be your best and motivate you to do your best. Most importantly, they will not judge you for who you are.
