Day 9 - What Is A Hard Lesson You Are Grateful To Have Learned?

 

Who doesn't have a laundry list of hard lessons they learned from? Or a list of things they don't talk about but learned EPIC lessons from? 

Everyone has something monumental that changed their outlook on some aspect of their life - family, friends, relationships, love.. any of them.

A hard lesson I am grateful to have learned was an ongoing one. One where I realized that not everyone in my life is going to cheer for me. Not everyone is going to understand why I do what I do. Not everyone is going to support my choices. 

And that's okay! 

See.. just because someone SAYS they support you, that they agree with you, they back you up does NOT mean they actually DO. What people say and do can sometimes be vastly different and as a result, true colors appear. I have had the hardest time understanding this - because I would never go back on my word, yet there are a lot of people in my life who have. I refused to see it for a long time. 

It's 110% acceptable to not agree with someone's life choices. It's also acceptable to talk to them about your differences. What is not okay - is shaming them for what they decide to do. Talking behind their back after you tell them you're on board with whatever it was they were talking about. Lying about true feelings to avoid having a conversation? Also not okay. 

I had to take a good hard look at who I was investing my time and energy into, and adjust accordingly over the years. Learning that not everyone is as honest and open as me has been a tough pill to swallow. In learning this, I am more self aware of what I share, who it is shared with, and how I react to others.

There is nothing wrong with speaking your true feelings - but please be open to both sides of the coin. Have an open mind. Be willing to listen rather than come up with answers for everything in the moment. It's okay to not agree and still be friends.

I am grateful for this ongoing lesson because as I mentioned before, I am more self aware. I see now that people's reactions to things in MY life are a reflection of something THEY are fighting through. I am grateful because this lesson taught me a lot of compassion and patience. It's okay to be different - that's what makes the world go round. Embracing it is harder than you think, but once you get past the suck - it's not so bad on this side of it! 

What hard lesson are you grateful to have learned from?