We’re all guilty of this: constantly texting and badgering a person, hoping just to get a smidge of their time. It seems like the more we try, the worse-off things get. Still, even in the face of adversity, we push through excuse after excuse. At the same time you’re fighting for somebody's attention, there is probably somebody fighting for yours. They’re always inviting you to things, yet you decline their invitation in hopes of finding something better to do. Instead of getting bitter, they always keep a friendly attitude and continue to extend their friendship.
People love the chase; it’s intoxicating for some but if you really think about it, the principle is downright stupid. By chasing someone whether it be in the context of a relationship or a friendship, you are implicitly seeing yourself as being lower value than the individual you seek to obtain. In essence the chase is all about trying to show someone that you’re worthy of their attention. To me, people who engage in the chasing of others are blatantly disrespecting themselves and NEED TO STOP NOW!
On the other end of the spectrum are the people who ignore the people who genuinely want to spend time with them in order to pursue something they perceive to be better. I myself have been guilty of turning down friends who wanted to hang with me in hopes of doing something with the “cool” kids instead. Actions speak louder than words and behavior like that implies that you view those friends as being lesser than yourself and easily replaceable if something else comes along. Loyalty and good friendship is something that is very hard to come by and it should not be taken for granted. Cherish those people who actively want to be in your life because not everybody is fortunate enough to have that.
“Treat others how you want to be treated” is a phrase that everybody should live by. A vast majority of people know how it feels to be abandoned. There’s no worse feeling than making plans with somebody only to watch that person cancel those plans in order to hang with somebody else. Another example would be having a person only hang out with you when they have nothing else to do. Both the scenarios above are terrible, and the person on the short end of the stick typically feels like a back-up plan. If you have ever experienced what it feels like to be a back-up plan, then you know that it is something you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. People don’t understand that when someone offers to spend time with them they are giving that person the biggest compliment ever. What I mean by this is out of the infinite amount of possibilities that person could be doing in their spare time, they are willing to spend it with you. So you must understand that showing little to no respect for someone’s time when they offer it to you is like the biggest smack in the face.
Lastly, I would like to end this article with some food for thought. Treat others how you want to be treated, and appreciate the people you have because in one instant they can be gone. Always depend on those who are dependable, and never feel the need to change who you are in order to get validated by others.
