Hey y’all! Long time not talk. That’s definitely my bad, life has been crazy busy (but in the best way of course). I have been spending lots of time with lots of different friends and if you know me, you know that is my absolute favorite thing to do! I absolutely adore all of the amazing people in my life and I would do absolutely anything for them, it’s just the two in me! Now, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s the Enneagram test! Call me basic, whatever, but I am super into things like the Enneagram test and astrology! Before you ask, let’s just be upfront about it: I am a Gemini and a two on the Enneagram test (don’t hate, not all geminis suck)! Often times, I find myself turning into THAT person who blames all of my behaviors on things like my astrology sign or my Enneagram number but sometimes it’s just so hard not to! Anyways, I’m blabbering, the reason I’m telling you these things is because one of the main traits of a 2 is to be a major people person and I totally am! I find so much joy out of pouring into people and being a steady support for them. Now, you obviously do not have to be a two to relate to this, anybody can feel this way! I place a lot of my joy into the well-being of others: if my friends are happy, I’m happy! However, although it is very rewarding to be there for people and to be told how great of a listener I am (which I really do love hearing!), it can be REALLY exhausting. The problem that I find myself running into is that I spend so much time worrying about everyone else and pouring into everyone else’s cup, I really neglect my own. If you have ever felt this you know that not only is it a sucky feeling, but once you get into the habit of it, it is sooo hard to stop! I feel like there is never a chance for me to talk about me because I don’t want to interrupt the process of someone else needing me. It gets to the point where it starts to feel almost wrong for me to talk about myself, I am scared of being seen as selfish. Oh man, that word. If you think about it, it’s a really heavy word and a word that has come to control my life. Let me give you some background: about almost two years ago now a friend that I really trusted in confessed to me that they saw me as an incredibly selfish person and that made it difficult for them to really trust in me. OUCH. That conversation has sat so heavily with me that I now find myself overcompensating to try to and make sure that is the absolute last word anyone would ever call me. Now, don’t get me wrong, it was something that I really needed to hear and ultimately lead to me bettering myself. I am grateful for that conversation. But, I am now at this stage of my life where I am trying to find the line between being a selfless person while also not completely draining myself in order to lift up others. SO, if you are here with me and you can relate to this let me be the first to say: CARING FOR YOURSELF IS NOT SELFISH. Seriously, read that again. And again if you need to! Learning that lesson has made ALL the difference for me and I’ve found that it really impacts the way I see myself and others. Loving people is so much easier when you also love yourself! Now, here’s the big thing, listen to me when I say that it is OKAY to reach out to someone you trust and say “you know, I’m really struggling right now and I could really use a friend.” Be there for others, but also allow them to be there for you. Now, I’ll be the first to say that I do not have this mastered in any way. But, I am making the concious effort to change it and you should too! So to sum up all my blabbering, pour into people and always be willing to be an open ear and a shoulder to cry on, it is very rewarding and you never know how much of an impact you’ll make! But, just as importantly, be willing to be vulnerable and open up to someone else. Always make sure to have an equal amount of self love and love for others.

Well, that’s what I got for today! Please feel free to reach out and let me know what you think, share any personal stories, if you relate, or let me know any advice you may need! I am happy to listen and help out! Thanks for reading, talk sooonnnn.