If you decided today to run for president, how many of your current friends would rally behind you? Okay, you probably will not be standing for president so let us bring it a little closer to home.
If you decided to start a business
If you decided to quit your job and venture in to self-employment
If you decided to run a campaign
If you decided to get married
If you embarked on a community initiative
If you chose to go back to school
If you started anything different that required self-sacrifice and perhaps some money,
If you embarked on a project to build a house for yourself or for your parents
If you bought a car
How many of the people around you that you call friends would stand by you?
They say that a friend in need is a friend indeed. Have you ever thought about it that a friend in your growth, your advancement, is also a friend indeed?
My point is, if you embarked on any of these things and the friends around you do not rally behind you, then are these really your friends? Regardless of their reasons, their friendship starts to be questionable.
They may say that it is because they know you are not able to pull it off, but do you realize that this shows they are not in tune with who you are and what you are capable of doing? I mean, if you have been friends for long enough, they should be able to see you in light of your convictions and your motivations behind them. They should be able to understand you and even if they don’t, they should be able to support you regardless.
Look, if your friends cannot support you or believe in you, it is either they do not know you in which case they have no business being your friend; or you have attained a certain knowledge that has outgrown your collective belief and perception of life.
Do not be stuck and fail to do better for yourself, just to attain the approval of people who you have outgrown. Do not be afraid to move just so that you can remain loyal to people who are not helping you move forward. Do not shrink to remain in circles you have outgrown. Upgrade your circle. Level up.
Do not wait for heavy problems to befall you before you make an audit of your circle. Death, losing one’s job, having a major problem or setback, financial trouble, accusations, a threat to your name that you must defend, those indicators are too obvious.
Change the script and get on a self-advancement plan. Go back to school, start a business, start a not-for-profit, run a campaign, and watch who will be there. Stand for president. Watch who supports you, who opposes you, and who does not show up for you. Do not be naive. Believe what you see.
We should all aspire to Katumba’s friends circles. Imagine having people around you who believe in you to that level. What can you not do? What can you not achieve? What levels are you not able to reach? What hurdles can you not surmount?
Ask yourself; the things you do for your friends, the sacrifices you make for them, the things you are willing to do for them. Would they do the same for you?
Stay woke.
Otherwise, Katumba oyee…
Yours truly,
Anna Grace
