Sometimes, bumping into an old friend teaches us an important lesson. Recently, I was fortunate enough to run into an old friend / work colleague who I had not seen in years. Reconnecting with her through randomly bumping into each other at Greg & Chris Savage’s SPRINT training last week (two very well respected industry professionals for those who are not in the industry), was a timely reminder for me that who we choose to spend time with is important. She is one of those people who always puts a smile on my face. Before leaving, we organised to catch up for coffee and I was genuinely happy that we had reconnected.
It got me thinking, why is it that we enjoy the company of some people more than others? What is it that they do or say? How is it that they behave?
As I headed off for our catch up a few days later, I had a skip in my step as I was looking forward to spending time with her. When we reunited at the event we laughed together and reminisced of the days I would arrive at work or her family home with baked goods. Therefore for our catch up, I felt it would be a nice gesture to take biscuits that she could again share with her family.
We sat in the café and both spoke for an hour without drawing breath. It would easily be several years since we last caught up but it felt like only yesterday. The meeting only ended when the waitress asked us to move for the lunch sitting.
It was an easy interaction, I wanted to hear all of her stories and she wanted to hear mine. We shared in each other’s ups and downs. We both genuinely listened to each other and I walked away feeling connected.
The point here is simple. There are some people in your life who will make you feel amazing and there are others who are an absolute drag. They are negative, tiring and sap your energy. Without realising it they give you nothing except an empty feeling afterwards.
The one thing we all have is equal amounts of time – the minutes continue to tick on and you can never get that time back again. If there are people in your life who are not celebrating in your stories, giving you a skip in your step and truly making you feel good about yourself then start making decisions about how much time they deserve.
This isn’t to say that you never see them again, just make better decisions about who is deserving of your time (as it’s precious).
Sometimes, bumping into an old friend can remind you of what is important and what we value in friendships.