What goes down, can eventually come back up… it’s the way of things, but it’s also really hard to remember when you’re in it.

I’ve been thinking a lot about advice I’ve given friends over the years that I resist taking myself:

1. Why do you accept less than what you’d give to someone else?
2. You should listen to them, they are telling you and showing you what they are. It isn’t worth holding on to someone’s potential.
3. You aren’t stuck. You always have choices, even if they don’t look like what you want them to.
4. It’s not your job to fix another adult’s problems. That’s enabling and not a loving act.
5. Boundaries are rules for your own behaviour and what you’ll accept. They are not for controlling other people. It’s your job to maintain them.
6. You can’t expect someone to know what you’re thinking and feeling if you won’t tell them.
7. Many things worth having involve scary risks. It doesn’t mean they aren’t worth having.
8. The biggest growth happens in the spaces in between, the ones that are a little uncomfortable.
9. We teach others how to treat us.
10. No man left behind is fantasy bullshit. You can’t drag someone that doesn’t want to come.
11. If it’s not given willfully, it’s not worth having.