If They Wanted to They Would

           One piece of advice that I live by is "If they wanted to they would". This can be applied to so many parts and aspects of life and can be interpreted however you want. For example, if you invite someone to come watch you perform and they make up some lame excuse to not go then you know the truth. If they wanted to they would have made an effort to come. By thinking this way, narrowing down the real people in your life and who really matters is easier. Honestly, no one person has given me this advice it is more something that I have learned as I have grown up and is a lesson everyone who cares about having support should learn. Another example is if you are at the airport and you ask a friend or your partner to pick you up even though it is an hour+ away from their house and they say no or are even hesitant about it then you should question their purpose in your life. If they are unwilling to come to see you and pick you up and rather you ask someone else or take a more dangerous approach such as taking an Uber then why ever ask or talk to them again. Any person who loved you would be willing to drive hours to come see you so by having this advice engrained in the way you think you can learn to have standards and self-respect. 

            These quotes are a big part of protecting your peace. I think it is so important to leave behind people who don't care about you or give you the time of day in the past. Especially with the new year coming up and all of the new year resolutions. 2024 is the year for self-growth and finding the people who will be in your life forever because, at the end of the day, they are the only friends that matter. I'm not saying that you can't have nonchalant friends here and there and in classes, etc. but it is important to not be holding on to the past and the people who have moved on without you. Advice like this is the root of growth and you can learn so much about yourself by having closure with the past and accepting that people change and your life will never be the same. This advice will be carried with me throughout my life so I can always be surrounded by a loving community who cares because life is all about caring and being around others who care. So surround yourself with loving, caring people who would do it because they want to and not have you questioning if they wanted to they would.