“No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself” -Madonna.
In this crazy thing called life, we are thrown a number of curve balls. Many think that it is the curve balls or difficulties that affect who we are, but in fact, it is how we handle these difficulties that affect who we are.
Recently, it seems as if toxic people have been surrounding my life. Okay, maybe the person isn’t completely toxic, but their behavior is. And this toxic behavior creates a toxic relationship that is not good for either party involved.
When you find yourself in a toxic relationship, what is your immediate reaction? I personally find my thoughts consuming the topic and letting it eat at me continuously. This then turns into a miserable experience.
So, what do you do from here? You be the better person. I think some people have a stigma about thinking that in order to be a better person, they must be better than everyone else. Wrong.
My personal opinion of being the better person is doing what is good for you. Be confident in yourself, and do what makes you happy. I also think that you have to let go of the need for judgment of others and yourself. More often than not, we find ourselves getting wrapped up in judging others or caring about what others think of us. In order to be a better person, we need to let go of this judgment.
I also think that confidence is a huge part of being a better person. But there is a fine line of having confidence that makes you think that you are better than others, and having the confidence to believe in yourself so others believe in you too. Empower your confidence to change things in your life that you feel need to be changed. In the end, this change will make you a better person.
You may be thinking to yourself that all these acts fall along selfish lines. In today’s world, it is okay to be selfish, to do what makes you feel happy. This selfishness refers to self-care and loving yourself, regardless of what others say or do to effect that, including the toxic ones. Do things out of love that make you fulfill your needs and happiness, rather than doing something out of fear because you want validation.
Lastly, realize that nobody is perfect, including you. Everyone makes mistakes, but it is learning from your own mistakes, not others, that make you a better person.
If you ever find yourself in a toxic relationship that is pulling you down, play nice and step away. The phrase “kill’em with kindness” is more relevant than ever and is exactly what you should do. Put a smile on your face, remove yourself from the situation, and do what you want to do to fulfill your life and your goal of happiness.
Life is too short. At the end of the day, you always want to be the best version of yourself.