Ever since turning 30 I have really started to view life in a very different way than before, especially with regards to ego. What I am referring to here in particular is that for many years I wouldn’t look upon my friends as inspirations, but rather competition, this is healthy at times but not always and if you have friends who are doing incredible things then you should look to them as inspiration and not with any envy or overwhelming ego. My buddy Marc Leder is a perfect example of this, for me he is just one of life’s winners, one of those guys that you know no matter what happens they will come up smelling of roses.
To be fair to Marc, he is a very smart individual and someone who knows exactly what he wants and is prepared to work hard enough to get it. For many years I envied Marc but in recent years I have come to understand just how important it is to be inspired by friends like this, and here is why.
Healthy
Harboring negative thoughts is just not healthy for you, much less when these negative thoughts come about because of something that a friend is doing. Whether you hold negative thoughts against them or against yourself based on what a friend is doing is irrelevant. Thinking like this can easily do damage to a friendship and for your own personal mental health it is something which you should try to avoid doing.
Opportunity
If you ask most people who inspire them they may talk about political figures, music artists, family or perhaps social crusaders. The is all well and good but in reality we can only ever be slightly influenced by these people because we don’t really know anything about them, other than what they have been able to achieve. This is why if you have a friend who is doing great things then this provides you with an amazing opportunity to be inspired by someone who you see each day, or at least with frequency. Being inspired doesn’t mean that someone is better than you or that you want to be them, it just means that through your respect and love, you can be motivated to think or act in a certain way, and that can only be beneficial.
Better Friendship
Friends should make each other better people and that is something that was lost on me for far too long. Having a friendship is a mutually beneficial relationship based on the things you like, the people you are and each other’s ability to inspire and motivate the other. Friends see the truth in you, they know what you are capable of and because of this they are able to advise and help you whenever you need it. Being inspired by a friend is not something negative at all, it is in fact the epitome of friendship and we all need to learn just how important this can be for all parties.
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