Know When to Walk Away

Leaving the Wrong People Behind with Daniell Koepke (The Secondhand Inspiration Project)

Photo by Philippe Mignot on Unsplash

The Secondhand Inspiration Project begins with a motivational quote and ventures wherever the creative path meanders.

“Not all toxic people are cruel and uncaring. Some of them love us dearly. Many of them have good intentions. Most are toxic to our being simply because their needs and way of existing in the world force us to compromise ourselves and our happiness. They aren’t inherently bad people, but they aren’t the right people for us. And as hard as it is, we have to let them go.” — Daniell Koepke

One of the more challenging aspects of life is figuring out when you should end a friendship.

You should walk away if someone is emotionally draining positive energy from you. It doesn’t matter who’s at fault or who’s innocent. If that person is tapping your positive energy, it’s probably time to end things.

Some of my best decisions were to back out of shitty situations. Many times, I was tentative and held on hoping things would “get better” or eventually be like they once were. But then, I remembered how short and precious life is and how silly it would be to waste it on those who are not worthy of my friendship, mentorship, energy, or love.

Often, we remain in relationships (or romances, friendships, careers, etc.) because we feel stuck or comfortable or uncertain of how we can make it without a certain person or thing in our life. So we keep riding this nauseating wave, up and down, over and over. But why? So we can master the senseless arts of suffering and struggling?

There will be countless people that wander into your life, but it’s imperative to remember that you are the most important person to yourself. Take care of yourself and give yourself as much support as you give others. There’s enough turmoil going on in the world, and from my point of view, we don’t need any more adverse energy surrounding us. Care about yourself and people who will reciprocate that level of caring eventually will find their way into your life.