"'those people' and a bit of gratitude"
Friday, January 19, 2007 Filed in: deep thoughts
| my life
i was talking to my
friend Lisa a month or so ago and she was talking
about how there are just some people in this world
that can bring out the best in you. of course this
means that conversely, there are also those that can
bring out the worst in you.
so, i've been thinking a lot about this idea lately and i think it's very true. i think that the majority of the people in this world don't cause you to be one way or the other. however, i think that, every once in a while, you meet someone who either brings out the best in you and pushes you to be a better person, or brings out the worst in you and makes you realize how horrible of a person you are actually capable of being. (and trust me, we are ALL capable of being horrible people.) fortunately, i've been blessed with a large number of people in my life over the years who have pushed me to be a better person. but, there have been the occasional friends who have turned me into something i'm less than proud of.
i feel like i've experienced both of those situations lately. and let me tell you... the bad one sucks. it's kinda a mirror to your darkest parts. the good thing is that it shows you the areas of your life you have to guard and defend most heavily. the bad thing is, now you have to guard and defend them.
the thing about the people that bring those sides out of you... it doesn't necessarily make them good or bad people (though they might be). they might just be good or bad for you. but there are definitely some people out there that are just bad for me. i look back at the times in my life when i was around people like that, and those are the times that i've hated myself. i don't blame them. i take responsibility for me and my actions. but part of that responsibility is surrounding myself with good people who will build me up and push me to be a better person and staying away from those who could drag me down.
i want to say thank you to all of you who are those people who don't allow me to be complacent and stagnant. the ones who push me to be a better person. i probably don't tell you enough that i appreciate you. thanks.
- matt
so, i've been thinking a lot about this idea lately and i think it's very true. i think that the majority of the people in this world don't cause you to be one way or the other. however, i think that, every once in a while, you meet someone who either brings out the best in you and pushes you to be a better person, or brings out the worst in you and makes you realize how horrible of a person you are actually capable of being. (and trust me, we are ALL capable of being horrible people.) fortunately, i've been blessed with a large number of people in my life over the years who have pushed me to be a better person. but, there have been the occasional friends who have turned me into something i'm less than proud of.
i feel like i've experienced both of those situations lately. and let me tell you... the bad one sucks. it's kinda a mirror to your darkest parts. the good thing is that it shows you the areas of your life you have to guard and defend most heavily. the bad thing is, now you have to guard and defend them.
the thing about the people that bring those sides out of you... it doesn't necessarily make them good or bad people (though they might be). they might just be good or bad for you. but there are definitely some people out there that are just bad for me. i look back at the times in my life when i was around people like that, and those are the times that i've hated myself. i don't blame them. i take responsibility for me and my actions. but part of that responsibility is surrounding myself with good people who will build me up and push me to be a better person and staying away from those who could drag me down.
i want to say thank you to all of you who are those people who don't allow me to be complacent and stagnant. the ones who push me to be a better person. i probably don't tell you enough that i appreciate you. thanks.
- matt