The Biggest Gift You Can Give Yourself

Your best investment for the New Year?
Surrounding yourself with people who bring out your best

Ya’ll know me pretty well by now … I like to encourage folks to find joy … and to go for it every single day.

But this past week, I was bummed as all hell and was looking for someone to inspire ME.

See, my dog, Ethel, just died. Seriously, this past weekend. She was only five. Yeah, the same damn dog that ran away when I was down at a gaming trade-show three years ago and I blubbered with joy at our networking party when my husband Jim called and said she had returned after three days.

Ethel would growl at the floor registers every time the heat would go on; she’d let me swing dance with her to my favorite Harry James songs. She got skunked twice in the last month. Her greatest joy was to run high-speed (and she was ridiculously fast) in circles in our court, with a ball in her mouth, with other dogs chasing her.

Friday night, Jim and I slept on the floor in front of the fireplace and spooned her and our other dog Lucy. The next morning the vet came and put her under, as she laid in my arms. Yeah, us dog people.

During this last week I felt guilty about being so friggin’ sad … telling myself that I should be thankful the humans close to me are healthy.

And you know what? At no time did my friends make me feel “silly” for grieving over a dog. Or tell me how much I have to be grateful for.

Even though some friends had a lot of heavy stuff on their minds, they listened through the entire, unabridged sequence of events. And they’ve wholeheartedly celebrated all the terrific things that have happened lately too. And that really has been the biggest gift this

Thank you my friends

December.

It is through them, they reminded me of my strength.

So, friends, as we start 2014, I wish for you that you surround yourselves with people who:

… make you feel like a rock star, not make you second-guess yourself

… get you laughing so hard that no sound comes out

… are never resentful or jealous when good things happen to you

… will just show up at your door with a casserole, to sit with your mom, to rake your leaves, because they know you’d never ask for help

… will say, “Yeah, I have felt that way too” after you confess something you are ashamed of

… are constantly reminding you of your talent

… are always encouraging you to take that next challenge

… will patiently listen to your same drama, over and over again, until you have the strength to make a change

So, why is your best investment for the new year surrounding yourself with people that bring out the best in you? No matter what your resolutions are, or your inspirations, your friends will be there on the sidelines, cheering you on, or they’ll be right along side of you, helping you up, every step of the way. Thank you, my friends. Happy Holidays.

Originally published by Raving Consulting Company