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Who's your best friend?
by Mark Ivar Myhre
You know the best thing I got going for myself?
Deep down inside, where it
really counts, I love and
accept myself. I'm at peace with who I am.
Not totally. But
enough. I am my own best friend.
Who's your best friend?
For some, it's the Marlboro Man. Or Mr. Jim Beam.
Or the U.S. Sugar Corporation. Or Hershey's
chocolate.
For others it's their anger. Or their pity.
Or their cynicism. (Which will always be there for
them. And they'll never be cynical of their best friend;
their own cynicism.)
Maybe your best friend is your dog. Or your
diamonds.
Or maybe you really do have a good buddy you hang out
with who's your best friend. Like the Skipper had
Gilligan.
Like Thelma had Louise. Like Charlie Brown had
Linus. (Cause he sure didn't have Snoopy!)
And still others would say God is their Best Friend.
Which is wonderful, if it's more than just a saying.
Or if you're of the new-age persuasion, you might say
your Higher Self is your best friend.
I've had lots of best friends in my life. But at
the end of the day, I'm still closest to myself.
No matter how tightly I hold the other person at night.
Or enjoy football games with another person. No
matter how much I love chocolate. No matter how
much I love to blame and get
righteous and feel sorry for myself...
I'm always closest to myself.
Yes,
I have a wonderful relationship with my Creator.
That I never talk about. Because it's beyond
words, and very
private.But if I don't love myself first, I will NEVER
allow God's love or any other love into my heart.
That's why I've chosen to be my own best friend.
So that I can have good friends. So I can be good
friends with many others. So that I can truly be
at peace with myself.
So that I can even be capable of having a loving
relationship - whether it's with another person or my
Creator.
So I can forgive myself when I make mistakes.
Cause I screwed up yesterday. Big time. And
I'm going to screw up tomorrow. Guaranteed.
And I'm going to need to forgive myself for that.
So I can accept the fact that yes, I'm a human.
And it's okay to be a human.
You can probably think of various other reasons yourself
for why it's so advantageous to be your own best friend.
But it's not easy, is it?
Maybe you've already tried and failed. A best
friend is a commitment. It doesn't just happen.
No matter who your best friend is, you've got to make
effort to keep that relationship alive and thriving.
The greater the effort, the greater the reward. Or
at least, the greater the impact.
If you want to be your own best friend, it starts with a
choice. But it doesn't end there. That's the
*beginning*.
Not the end. You've got work to do.
Effort and attention and focus and a shifting of
priorities.
(It only seems like you're falling off a log when you
blame.
In reality, you're making a HUGE sacrifice!)
If you want to be your own best friend, you WILL have to
make some sacrifices.
Number one: Pay attention to what you say to
yourself all day long.
Would you say that stuff to your best friend?
Well, would you? Then why say it to yourself?
See, when another person is your best friend, you don't
usually nag them and put them down every chance you get.
You don't jump down their throat every time they make a
simple little mistake.
Instead, you know their faults and you accept them.
You love them in spite of their shortcomings.
You might want them to change. You'd probably help
them change - but in the meantime you love them just the
way
they are. That's what a best friend does.
They see the good.
They see the bad.
They wish for the best.
They hope the other person becomes more.
And all the while they love and accept their best
friend.
When you are your own best friend, others want in.
To be a part of what you have. It inspires
confidence in others.
It's the exact opposite of being a narcissist.
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