The Best People to Turn to During Change

I’d like to share with you one of my favorite quotes from Karlfried Graf Durckheim’s The Way of Transformation:
 
“Those who, being really on the way, fall upon hard times in the world will not, as a consequence, turn to that friend who offers refuge and comfort and encourages the old self to survive. Rather they will seek out someone who will faithfully and inexorably help them to risk themselves, so that they may endure the suffering and pass courageously through it….”
 
When you’re going though a difficult change, don’t rely solely on friends and family. They may be great at offering support and comfort, but they’re comfortable with you the way you are. They also have no problem passing judgment or protecting you from failure—forces that can work against you.
 
Add some new friends to lean on—people who want you to change, who won’t be critical and who will allow you to fail and find your own strength. As I mentioned in one of my blog posts, sometimes the best person to help you is the one you least expect.