Out with the old, but what is new?

"Those mountains you were carrying, yeah those were meant for you to climb." -Najwa Zebian

Getting rid of unnecessary items in your house feels great. Old clothes, old shoes, old rags and towels, and especially old pieces of furniture. But is furniture the biggest thing that we enjoy getting rid of? It is fun to buy new clothes and go shopping for new home decor ideas, but what about people? You can't just chuck people in the trash can (although that would be nice) and you can't forget about those who you have met, loved, or cared for, but what you can do, is shed. What I mean by shed, is exactly what it sounds like. Just how a snake sheds its skin, you can shed off people. Whether you are squeemish towards reptiles or not, you can still connect the analogy. In life you meet two kinds of people: toxic, and influential. The definition for those are quit the opposite. People who are toxic in your life bring you down. They drag you by your hair. They say, do, and act in mean or hurtful ways towards you. However, toxic can also be disguised. What I mean by disguised is being "blinded" by what we THINK is love. We see love everywhere. We see it with our families and our really close friends. We see it in the movies and randomly while walking around town. We see "love" everywhere, but what is true love and how can we keep the toxic people out, while allowing the influential people in? It is a lot harder than it sounds. One can not simply know who is going to be toxic and who is going to be influential. Most of the time, everyone you meet could be considered influential, or someone who changes you for the better. Someone who makes you feel good about yourself and makes you feel happy or appreciated. Eventually, those same people can also be the ones bashing you for your mistakes, arguing with you over your morals and beliefs, and even can lead to abuse. Emotional, physical, verbal, whatever kind of abuse it may be, can stem from someone who seems sweet and sensitive in the beginning. The influential people however, will be the ones who lead you to new and positive things. They could lead you to the Lord for example. They could lead you to an alcoholics anonymous group. They could even lead you to a new job or a new group of friends. Either way, you want to be moved in a positive direction. Those who can do that, are showing you true love. You will notice that influential people stick around. And while they stick around, their love for you also never waivers. They stand strong in their own confidence and know that whatever you need, they can provide for you. Toxic people will only worry about themselves and how the world is treating them. So when you look at your friend group, or your significant other, or even a person you choose to go to for help, are they toxic or influential? Can you shed away the negative people in your life, and be willing to except the brand new and beautiful layer that can grow back in place of them? Each layer we choose to let go of, a brand new one will take its place. It is up to us to keep our confidence, self respect, and love for ourselves and only allow influential people to affect the way we live our lives. Because no matter what, life moves on. So don't be scared to try something new and stick to it. Because that could very well be the moment in your life where you become the happiest you have ever been before. A moment of positive impact.