A couple summers ago, my friend Mooks and I talked a lot about what sort of people we wanted to date. Inevitably, an important point was spending time with people who bring out the best in you. We talked about how we had different personalities depending on who we were around. C. S. Lewis had a similar insight, that it takes a whole community to know an individual. I suppose this is one reason it’s dangerous to rely too heavily on one relationship, like inseparable couples, since it only allows one side of you to be developed.
I’m not really sure what sort of people bring out the best in me. As far as people who bring out a side of me that I like, I think I like myself most when I can be open, honest, and willing to take risks. Some people definitely invite that side of me, though I can’t exactly put my finger on what sort of person. I also really love being around people who motivate me to push myself. I think that’s one thing I really appreciated about being on a sports team is that it created an ambitious atmosphere. Ideally, I guess I would be around people who motivate me to be open and take risks.
As for what sort of people bring out a side of me that I don’t like, I’m pretty easily influenced, so if I’m around negative attitudes or too much complaining that definitely rubs off on me. I’m trying to avoid being too negative since it’s the easiest way for me to get stuck in my head and not active enough.
I guess the point of all this is that I want to pay attention to the people I surround myself with, and what sort of personality certain people bring out in me. These sorts of ideas make me glad that I am meeting so many new people, I can only hope that they are bringing out new sides of me. On a sidenote, I never really expected to love meeting new people so much, both because it’s scary and because I love the friends I already have. I kind of figured, why meet more? Well, I guess because otherwise I wouldn’t really be changing.
from ken
Are you trying to change your life? I'd love to hear about it! ken.e.noguchi@gmail.com
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