The older I get the more I realize who I truly need in my life. There are only a rare few who have impacted my life in a unique way. I have realized that not everyone in my life is meant to stay. This has possibly been one of the most difficult things I have had to come to terms with.

There is a quote that says, “Not everyone is meant to be in our future. Some people are just passing through to teach us a lesson.”

There is another that says, “We don’t meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason.”

These two quotes are extremely meaningful to me. While some people are a lesson, just a quick part of our lives, they were meant to impact us. They were a part of our lives for a reason, even if just for a second.

This is a concept that can be difficult to process and understand. Especially when we want nothing more than for them to stay for a while longer. There is always a reason though for why they made a presence in your life and there is always a reason for why they weren’t meant to stay.

This is something that has helped me cope with situations like these. When I am sad and confused, even lost wondering why these people are no longer a part of my life, I try and think about the impact they have made on me.

A lot of times, at least for me, I always go to the negative. I think about the consequences that came along with having them in my life and the bad times. However, instead of going there I have been trying to reflect on the lessons they taught me and how they shaped me into a better person, who I am today. I have realized it is so much more important to take the negative and turn it into a positive.

I think about my life before this person, before I knew them and before they made such a lasting impact on my life. What was I like before I met them? What were my beliefs? What kind of person was I? Then I think about my life and who I was while they were still a part of it. What did I enjoy about this person? What did I like about having them around? What didn’t I like about them?

Then, I think about my life after this person is no longer a part of it. What did they teach me? What new perspectives did they give me on life? Did my beliefs or passions change? Did they help me grow? Did they make me a better person? Did they change me? Did I change because of who they were? These are all things that run through my mind. They are important questions when reflecting on their impact.

I have decided that our lives begin to thrive when we accept every invitation to grow. Each challenge, pain, heartbreak and even success is an opportunity to catapult ourselves to a new level. These people and these experiences occur for a reason and we have to decide what that reason is. Only we can decide the power they have over us and what impact they are going to leave on our life. We can use them to create and grow or they can be the anchor that holds us down and keeps us playing small. We choose, and in that, lies the truth of how powerful we really are.

When we accept this, we are no longer the product of these situations and people but rather the creator of it. These people, every single one of them helps us to grow - as long as we choose to let them impact us in this way. As long as we choose to let them impact us in the greatest way possible.

While sometimes it is hard, remember this: “All the people we have met and all the people we have yet to meet, are meant to exist so we can find them. So we both could exchange a set of directions, which will guide us to the next place we are meant to go.” - R.M. Drake