It is never easy when you are at a crossroads or very well near the end of a chapter in your life. Whether that chapter is a job, relationship, friendship, or any type of life change, it can either be unsettling to know it is the end, or very empowering. These things depend on whether the chapter was important to you or dwindling in importance. Sometimes it is easier said then done but when you begin to get the feeling that it is time to go, it is time to go.

I remember realizing that it was time to end a friendship, and being too afraid to do it. It isn’t easy to end something that has become so comfortably disappointing. It isn’t easy to know that you are growing apart from someone, or growing out of what they brought to the table, and still be too afraid to say goodbye. It is easier to sit in a comfortable, miserable, situation then it is to face all the ways your life will change when you say goodbye. You never think of the good that can come from the ending of a chapter, you only think of the bad. You think of the mutual acquaintances, the memories and reminders plastered all over social media. You think of the possible awkward encounters, or what people might say, but you don’t think of how it can enhance your life.

If you are thinking of ending a chapter in your life but are too afraid, remember that with every ending comes a new beginning. Very cliché, I know. You don’t realize how removing somebody who has become toxic to your life can enhance it, until it is done. Very often when you know it’s the end and you let fear stop you, the situation will end on its own, and probably not in the controlled, respectable manner we all would wish our goodbyes would be like.

I am not saying run away every time something happens in your life that scares you. I am not saying anytime someone close to you in your life treats you like they don’t deserve to be a part of it anymore is a reason to kick them to the curb. People go through hard times, people lose there way every now and then and that doesn’t mean that you should give up on them. When the behavior becomes consistent, when it becomes harmful to other relationships or aspects in your life, then you know it is running its course.

Words will never say as much as action proves. Fluff and flattery can make you happy for only moments but the doubts you have about the negatives someone else is bringing into your life will be sustained until they are addressed.

You have to learn that not everyone is meant to stay in your life forever. It is okay to outgrow situations, friendships, jobs, etc. It is not okay to become comfortable with being treated poorly by anyone. You owe it to yourself to know when and how to walk away from anything that no longer serves you.

To know if you should end the chapter and begin a new one, or work through the one you’re in right now, ask yourself one question. If a loved one came to you, knowing what you know, and asked what they should do to live their best life regarding the chapter they are in, what would you say? That answer will tell you all you need to know.