Settling.

I spend quite a bit of my time thinking about how easily people settle. Whether it is in a relationship, job, friendship, location....etc. It's something that I have realized is all too easy to let happen. Everyone seems to get comfortable and are fearful of change once they're in a "safe place".

I have many people in my life that I see settle in things I don't believe they should. Being with a person they aren't truly happy with.....because the fear of being alone. Continuing to work a job they hate...because the fear of failure or not being able to do anything else. Keeping friends that treat them terribly....because they don't want to be seen as "unpopular". Staying in the place they grew up because they might fail if they move somewhere else.

All of this worries me. I have never been someone that gets in with a group of people just so I can say I have a certain amount of friends. Now in my life I have a handful of true friends and they are the ones I keep around. I do my best to keep up with them even when I'm thousands of miles away and I know they do the same for me. It's never easy to do but I know that no matter what, they've got my back. I can't say that about many people but I know for a fact that I can say it about my "true friends".  I feel lucky to have them in my life and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world :)

I will never work a job I hate. I don't see the point in living life in such a miserable way. Many people have jobs that define their life. They wake up and go to work 5 days a week, spending 8-12 hours a day in the same place. Shouldn't you be doing something that makes you wake up and excited to be doing? A huge amount of your life is wasted if you're working in a job you hate. It makes me sad. Many people keep these jobs because of the money they make. In the end that money isn't going to make you happy though.....why not work a job that keeps your life positive and maybe make less money than the job you hate? I think that's a better way to live life....but hey, that's just me.

Now, relationships. I think this one bothers me the most. It tears me up to see someone settling for someone that they aren't really connected to, they aren't truly happy with. When I see people together because they fear the change of being alone, it upsets me so much. I mean I have been in bad relationships and I have stayed with guys way past when I should have. I look back and see it was because I always hope to make things work. I'm not sure I did it because I didn't want to be alone but maybe because I wanted us to work, didn't want to give up. I truly believe I will never be in a relationship like that again. I can't imagine letting a guy do what some others have done to me and staying with them. I've grown a lot the past few years. I've been single a lot and it's all by choice. I think the last guy I was "dating" really opened my eyes to how I have been in relationships and how I need to be. This was only about 6 months ago but my outlook has been transformed since him. So for that, I thank him. Since leaving NC and traveling out west I've met a handful of guys and I see that there is absolutely no reason to settle for someone you aren't happy to be with. I see so many different personalities, different ways guys act around girls (or girls around guys) and what we do to try and win someone over we are attracted to. There are people out there who know how to do it "right". Being alone is terribly hard for some people and I understand that but there are billions of people in this world....BILLIONS!!! :) We are all constantly learning and growing and transforming....don't forget that. We just have to find the person who is willing to learn/grow/transform with us and not settle for the one who is never going to change.....

anyways. just wanted to get some of that off my chest because I think about it so much. Who knows what anyone else thinks haha.