The statement “remember who they are” is loaded. Loaded meaning one can go in multiple directions with it. That is the plan in this piece. When going through a rough patch, remember those who extended a hand or ear and those who didn’t. When you are doing better than average, remember the attendance of those around you. Remember the actions of those with whom we’ve shared a disagreement. All of this must be a record in our mental repository. People rarely behave consistently, but will in given situations.
To clear that up, a person will react to hard times or being the center of attention differently but behave the same while going through hard times or when the center of attention. The key will be asking ourselves can we tolerate another person’s behavior under certain circumstances? Yes, most people are easy to get along with and tolerate under normal circumstances, but who are they when something is not in their favor? How are they confronting their faults? How do they respond to being required to explain themselves? How do they treat others when things are going extremely great? Are they still caring, loving, concerned, or is that just the version of them they show when waiting on a blessing?
During our journey in life, we will embark on many different goals. During these efforts, we see that support is not as strong as we expected. This occurrence is hard to stomach. It exposes those who are lacking the support we expected. In a more positive light, it also reveals who shows ultra support. These are the people who we should focus on and remember. When we accomplish our goal, we’ll know who to surround ourselves with for the celebration. The list is important because, in the end, there will be supporters who always knew we would do it, but never told, showed, or supported us.
This group will consist of people who we’ve supported, associates, old colleagues or classmates, family, and friends. It will be our job to deal with just how much of the fruits of our labor they’ll get to enjoy. Playing tit for tat may not be part of our personality, but those who supported us during our journey deserve more. Think about it in that way. The “new” supporters but old discoverers can get a couple of grapes, but the fruit platter is for yourself and day one or day two supporters.
Another critical part to remember about people is their character traits. This scenario has nothing to do with supporting us. This point of view is how they navigate through life. Understanding this is important because we can protect ourselves and others by knowing how people behave in certain situations. Many of us are stubborn, a little selfish, maybe slightly immature. The issue as an adult is not being able to recognize it. Recognizing it can be the result of self-analysis or someone in our circle telling us. There will be people who will not get it or get it and do nothing about it. We’ll need to take note and leave these people out of our circle.
If they are already in, we need to decide to remove them. They will not always show these traits because, again, no one’s behavior is consistent. They will show these traits again and it will drive you crazy. It’s crazy knowing that you could have spared yourself the repeated experience. If this person is someone you care about you’ll put up with it, but eventually, that will not be enough. The care or love for yourself and others will surpass that of the troubled member of the group.
In closing, one may believe “hey, will all have issues.” Yes, we do. As adults or young adults, we should aspire to be the best individual we can be. If we take on that approach, the people around us must also. The simple adage “You are the company you keep” will guide us to the correct choice here. If we want to be our best, we have to be surrounded by people who want to do the same. The people who can’t get out of their way will eventually get in yours. We can wait until it happens or decide that this heads-up is more than enough. When people show you who they are, believe them.
Food for thought…You do the Dishes.
