HIV Longevity Still Fighting…

Family and Friends (support system)

Most of us are looking for support systems in our daily lives. And, the funny thing is that our family and friends surround us and we often fail to recognize that they are the center of our support system

. This blog post is as much for me as for you. It is a healing process (and humbling) to admit that you need support in your life. Many times I have taken my family and friends for granted.

Note: Remember that this post (and others like it), are purely my creation. I do not pretend to know all of the answers. So take anything that I say here as my opinion and form your own conclusions based on this and other information that you gather. It is imperative that we constantly try to improve ourselves!

Enough jib jab … Let’s talk support!

Be There for Them and They Will be There for You
This is a simple rule, but one that is frequently overlooked. If you want or need a friend, the most important rule is that you must BE a friend before you can earn a friend. In other words, make sure that you are being a caring and loving person. Be supportive, and show your appreciation and it will come back tenfold. It’s easy to get caught up in our problems and daily turmoil … We sometimes will fail to realize that our friends and family need support as well. Before you start cashing in your “friend vouchers,” make sure that you are building up your credit by being a good friend.

If you are quick to help, and always supportive, your friends will come out of the woodwork when you need them.

Who are Your Friends
In the movie The Matrix, they say “temet nosce;” which loosely translates to “know thyself.” While this is a very important part of life, it is also extremely important to know your friends. Knowing their intentions and goals can go a long way to ensuring that you are aligning yourself with like-minded people.

Not everyone has your best intentions in mind. You should be keenly aware of the people around you and what they are trying to accomplish. I’m not suggesting that you judge or predict people’s thought processes and patterns. Instead, I am merely pointing out that it is YOUR responsibility to make sure that your friends are the type of people that you would like support from.

You Can’t Pick Your Family
Even though you can sort through your friends and pick and choose who will be with you for the long haul, this is not the case with family. Now you can banish family members from your life, but this seems a bit extreme (except for in extreme cases where this is necessary). Instead, try seeing the good in your “odd” family members, and assuming the innocent. It is not always easy getting along with family. Often this is because we spend the majority of our lives with them. However, understand that everyone is an individual and that’s what makes the earth such a COo.oOL place to live! Forgive … Be patient … Be understanding … Try to see things from their point of view … And, most of all — Be loving!

Family matters. Do your best and try to work past feelings of resentment or anger. Look past flaws and idiosyncrasies. Look deeper, and love the inner person. We are all born good, and most all of us have good intentions, regardless of the stupid choices we sometimes make.

Simply put … Love one another!

Surround Yourself with Encouraging and Positive People
I already discussed choosing/picking your friends. But, I think that this warrants an additional peek. Know that you are and become the friends who surround you. Regardless of what you believe, we all shape ourselves and form personalities based on our environment. Do you want to be a nebbish (a nobody and a nothing going nowhere fast), or do you want to grow, learn, improve, and make the world a better place?

Take a hard look at the people who surround you on a daily basis and start reading into those relationships. Is this person a go-getter, who is always trying to improve? Or, is your friend someone who constantly has a negative attitude and struggles with improvement?

I’m not saying pitch your friends and find new ones … But I am saying that ultimately you are in charge of who you decide to share life with. Be conscientious about where you seek friendship!

I hope this post was beneficial, and I look forward to hearing feedback!

Your friend,
Vaughn

p.s. This post is a chapter in my blog-book, The Secret to Longevity. Checkout my similar posts here: http://hivlongevity.com/the-secret. Or, follow the goodie trail:
Previous Secret Article — Next Secret Article

If you dig, share this article: