Nature’s Highlights:

It’s decided, the sun is the only saving grace of winter.

I love that mf.

If I learned one thing about this self-improvement journey,

It’s that it strips you of almost every person you thought you loved.

And accepting or rejecting this decides all of our happiness and peace.

But why exactly does that happen?

Yesterday I was asked a wonderful question by one of my friends.

He asked me:

“Why do people even drink at parties? What’s the point?”

As soon as the question’s sounds touched my ears, I instantly responded, like I had been waiting for this my whole life.

I said:

•Some don’t even want to, they just succumb to their social pressure. (that’s how I started to drink)

•Some do, just so that they can “have fun”. Otherwise, anxiety overwhelms them.

•And some have simply programmed themselves that way. For them, drinking and partying is a way to forget and escape.

But, given all those answers,

I want to focus on the first one.

I still remember vividly the first party I started drinking at.

Of course, I still had the occasional Strongbow even before that, when I was 12 years old

(and I was one of the good cases - just so you understand life in Romania better).

But this party was a tipping point for me.

I was 14, and this was the first birthday, the first big gathering I was invited to in my new group.

I didn’t even know people drank at those parties,

Until one of the people there, my new friend, handed me one and said “Drink it”.

At first, I didn’t want to.

For some weird reason, that was my first instinct. (thank God)

But he didn’t stop asking.

At one point he started running after me to drink that shit.

It was all in good fun, of course,

None of us knew what we were getting into.

So, after running a bit, I finally gave in.

I drank around 3mls of a gin shot.

And, as the drug entered my system, I instantly got drunk.

(yeah, my resistance isn’t impeccable :() )

But that was my first real experience with alcohol,

One that would signal many, many more to come.

Like it or not, as humans, we’re easily influenced by the people around us.

You can’t have a shining flower growing amongst weeds,

It’s just not possible.

That’s why,

Probably the biggest turning point in my life was when I stopped hanging out with those kinds of people.

It’s been lonely, but for almost one year,

I’ve only had one single friend who I went out with. (the fucker in the first story)

And, as time went by, I distanced myself from him as well.

I won’t lie to you,

Self-Improvement is a lonely journey for a lot of us.

If you aren’t the luckiest mf in the world,

The people around you will probably all be degenerates.

You may still be hanging around people like that,

Saying that it’s all in good fun.

But it doesn’t work like that.

Slowly but surely, their ideas, their way of life will seep inside yours,

And start creating cracks in your journey, bumps on the road on your path.

Now that you know that, you have to make a choice:

1. Stick with self-improvement, to the (short-term) detriment of your relationships

or

2. Go down the path they’re paving for you

A long time ago, I had a very good friend,

One I would’ve wanted in my life for the rest of it.

But I was slowly starting to see her going down a worse and worse path.

Her friends weren’t necessarily degenerates,

But they weren’t good enough for her either.

They were making her life miserable, and she knew it.

I tried stopping her,

I tried saving her.

But her fear of loneliness made everything I said obsolete.

Now…she’s depressed, with the only thing ‘redeeming’ her being her incredible intelligence.

Imagine what would’ve happened if she made the right choice.

Just one simple choice.

I couldn’t save her, and I’m not proud of it,

But I want to save you.

Don’t go down the same path.

No matter how hard it may be right now,

Trust me, you will either thank yourself for this decision, or regret it for the rest of your life.

It’s up to you which path you want to take.

So please, I’m begging you,

Don’t ruin your whole life because of one fear.