When You're The Giver...

I was out walking today just to clear my head, and I started thinking about things that I want to start working on within myself. One of those things is recognizing early on when I’m giving more than the other party in a relationship. This goes for any relationship. My friendships, my marriage, my associates, my family, any relationship. I feel that my weakness throughout my life has been that I’m a giver. Yes, it is good to give and to desire to give, but it can also be taken advantage of. This has been my struggle for a very long time. At this stage of my life, I feel that it is extremely necessary to evaluate my circle. This includes past and present. The reason why it is important to evaluate past relationships, is so that you can learn from it. It’s important to self-reflect and figure out how you can do things differently. I know that I always try to see the good in others. I really want to truly like everyone because I feel that we all have something great to offer. The problem with that is that it causes you to overlook all of the red flags that you see because you don’t want to believe the negative things about others. I can look back at some friendships and see where I should have walked away long before the relationship actually ended. There were many relationships that did not benefit me as much as the other party was benefitting from having me around. Often times people seem like they really care for you, but in actuality they only care for what you can doo for them. No relationship should be one sided. Both individuals should be giving 100%. If you are not getting everything that you deserve from that other party, you need to reevaluate the relationship. Never let anyone take advantage of your kindness. Your time is valuable, and your gifts are valuable. What you have to offer the world is valuable and you have every right to be selective with who you choose to share your time and space with. I encourage you to take a step back and reevaluate your circle. While we are in this time of quarantine, you have plenty of time to think and reflect. You deserve it!