Is Your Company Holding You Back?
A man is known by the company he keeps. No matter how strong we may think we are, our company does influence us.
You must assess if your company is good for your well-being or is it holding you back from growth and welfare. This is particularly important to review when you decide to make some major decisions in your life, like for example, quitting bad habits and getting rid of addictions, as we discussed in our previous article.
For example, if you want to leave smoking and/or drinking, one of the biggest obstacles often becomes your own friend circle. This is common in urban culture. If you are in your 20’s it could be easier for you to move on, but if you happen to be in your 30’s and 40’s, the hardest thing to do is go against the tide of the social circle or group of friends you have had since donkeys’ years.
A common scenario is that you stop drinking and smoking for a whole month, and one day when you were invited for a feast to a friend’s place, it all starts again. All your effort goes down the drain on that one evening when you end up having a drink and of course, that does not go without a cigarette for you.
Saying “no” feels awkward and leads to ridicule. By the end of it, even though you are not a teenager, you succumb to peer pressure of your good old friends. You conclude that if you must maintain your friend circle, you will have to do what you always did together. This may not be true.
All you need to do is muster courage to walk the road less travelled and watch the tide will change in your favour.
Next time, say “no”.
Be okay with your old friends mocking you, the embarrassment will pass. You have grown up together. It is okay. Genuine friends will be happy to see you become strong and maybe even draw inspiration to change their own lives. They will make the effort to meet you without smoking and drinking, if that is what you need to establish yourself in your new ways. You will start discovering a new deeper connection with them.
Alternatively, wait for yourself to be well-established in your good habits and sustain them for a long period before meeting in situations that have the potential to pull you down again.
If your company continues to mock you for giving up your unhealthy habits and that becomes their main focus – do you wish to keep such company that is holding you back from a good life?
If your friends cannot accept positive changes in your life, are they really your friends?
Food for thought – Do not fear loneliness, if one set of people is lost, you will soon attract others who will be aligned to your recently discovered bright and healthy life. At the same time, there is no need to give up strong old friendships if you can connect in a new light, without compulsions to indulge in habits you have discarded, while they may continue with old ways. Find other commonalities that can bind you together.
