I have been absent for quite some time making a few dreams come true! The first was a trip to Thailand with my family. My goals for 2010 called for more fun and adventure! Another priority for me was creating and maintaining powerful and meaningful connections with amazing friends, particularly women. This is the subject of this first blog back from my long absence.
In her fabulous book "The Happiness Project", Gretchen Rubin states that the most reliable predictor of not feeling lonely, for both men and women, is how much contact you have with other women. She states that both men and women find relationships with women to more intimate and enjoyable than those with men. This might be because Women tend to have more feelings of empathy for other people than men do.
It has always been a priority for me to cultivate friendships and I have never lacked a strong social circle but I am finding that the quality of friendships that are now surrounding me has been taken to a whole new level or perhaps it is that I am wanting these friendships to be at a whole new level and that is what I am attracting and creating in my life.
I recently arrived home from an incredible 3 day getaway with two of the most stunning women I know, Ruth and Carly a.k.a. Categon and Carloff (you have to be a lover of Lord of the Rings) The time away together both deepened our connection to each other and also, I believe, enriched our individual spirits. This trip confirmed that spending time with amazing women energizes and elevates your life to whole new levels.
Here are 3 elements which, for me, make these relationships so precious and fulfilling.
1) We share a huge value around growth and development. We love to read and share insights with each other and this creates the most spectacular and perspective shifting conversations. Many of our outings center around learning; dinner and a Daniel Pink lecture, getting together at a local Starbucks to discuss our recent readings are just a few examples. I learn so much when we are together!
2) We challenge each other and create a safe space for each person to speak their truth. Speaking your truth can be a very uncomfortable and foreign experience. We have been so conditioned to holding back what we are really feeling and thinking. But this "stuff" is what gets in the way and prevents us from moving forward. I know that I have been conditioned in my life to run away from uncomfortable feelings and thinking, to distract myself with something more enjoyable. Relationships like these, however, are teaching me how energizing authenticity can be.
3) We laugh a lot and have loads of fun! Laughing releases huge amounts of great endorphins and elevates your energy. We simply need to laugh a whole lot more in our lives, laugh till it hurts and till you want to cry. This past week was all about laughter and fun by doing what spoke to us in any given moment. We shared stories, danced in the moonlight (till someone told us to quiet down - it was only 10:30!) and watched incredible movies that made us think, laugh and cry...
We had so much fun we are already planning the next one. My question for you is What kind of powerful friendships have you created in your life? If most of them are with men that is great but perhaps think about what can you do today to begin to cultivate a meaningful friendship with a strong and positive women or a circle of women?
Lastly, enjoy and be grateful for all of your friendships. As it is said in A Course in Mircles -
"People are brought together, intentionally, for maximal learning opportunity".
Namaste...
Angela
