Keeping Your Circle Strong

Our friendships are one of the most vital things we ought to take care to cultivate. The philosopher John O'Donohue speaks of the importance of making time for friendship - as entirely intrumental to our happiness. Our health is also directly linked to the relationships we tend to - so nurturing a positive, strong and enriching eco-system around us bolsters our emotional intelligence, our empathy and our sense of self-esteem.

Through the friendships we keep, we map out our values, etch the language we speak to ourselves and form a blueprint of our goals and ambitions. Choosing to keep those we admire close, those we feel safe with and those we feel lightest around; bolsters our sense of direction and balance.

Our inner circles mark out standards to which we echo and draw an imagination towards expansion. When we stick to a standard of respect, kindness, empathy, trust and total safety - we protect and cultivate those qualities within ourselves. That is why our inner circles, our eco-systems - are a direct reflection of how we feel about ourselves.

The alternative medicine advocate, Deepak Chopra, talks about "entanglement" theory, in which everything is universally in dialogue and in overlap with one another. Much like the soil beneath a forest, we feed one another and we share our resources with our inner circles. When we share with those that are in alignment with who we are, we feel supported, bolstered and strengthened - and vice versa. When we attach to unhealthy behaviours, to those we don't truly respect, we starve ourselves of growth, expansion and wisdom.

It is essential, too, that alongside resonance and admiration, we nurture variety and intergenerational dynamics within our friendships. To create a sense of worldliness is ultimately always healthy. Variety gives us balance and shapes our world view and our vision for the life we truly want.

It is easy to slip into dynamics simply because they are readily available or picked up through childhoos. Yet, it is vital to take care over the friendships we cultivate and be selective. Select wisely and choose those you can mature with, grow with and learn from. The best friendships act like rainfall or sunlight on a garden - feeding all your wildest possibilities and sharing in both your joys and hardships - whilst remaining playful, warm, strong and vitally kind.