All In Who You Know

The old adage is as true as there is water in the seas: it is all in who you know.  Some may think I am referring to financial or business success, but I am not.  What about your mental and physical well-being?  When it comes down to it, if you are surrounded by people that love, respect, admire your inner traits, and truly care for you, you will have a better outlook of yourself.  If your friends are always there when you need them, always willing to listen to you and offer sincere advise to help better you with no ulterior motives, then would you not find your soul nurtured?

When it comes down to it, you have so many that are out there with only their interests in mind.  These are the people that are gone the second you need help, but on your doorstep the moment they are in crisis.  They belittle you, call you down, criticize, neglect, and sometimes physically hurt you.  You cannot expect to have a healthy attitude or even maintain your physical health if you are surrounded by this sort of companion.

A great example of rising above your surroundings was shown to me last week when I met Eric Crookshank, former captain of the Halifax Rainmen at BCANS.  His talk was entitled “Perseverance  Through  Adversity”.  My mind started calculate all the hardships he had endured and still succeeded in becoming a great person.  Yes, he is a great business man, but I mean he is a genuinely wonderful soul.  As he told his story he would reference his best friends and his mother, they had become great strengths to him.  They were a focused beam of light that showed him that he had the potential to be better, through his facets, they showed him the rainbow of opportunities and support.  It was not his friends that created his success, but they were his boosters, his patrons.  They would help lift each other up, not try to hold each other down.

I find myself looking at my equations and finding that I have not had the right mix of support.  I have stumbled many times with giving my friendship and love to those that were out to pull me down.  I am thankful to see that some that I thought would not want me have smiled and openly accepted me.  Some have started to express nothing but admiration for my qualities.  These are the people we all need.  These are the ones we need to know.