As I become more honest about who I am, what I want, and whom I welcome into my life, something magical has been happening. I want to share a few little moments with you because they’ve reminded me how much the friendships and relationships we choose shape the quality of our lives.

In just the last two days, one close friend told me she reads my posts and watches my videos every day.

Another friend said, “Your posts keep me inspired to take action.”

A third told me she has this intuition that I’ll write a book someday. She can already picture my name printed on the front cover.

Another shared that one of my posts inspired her to write her own.

Another said she feels so good after going for walks with me and just being around me.

Another said, "I feel like I know you for ages." We just met a year back.

And a friend hugged me really tight and asked my husband, “Can I keep her? Please?” 😂

All this in just two days. There have been plenty of moments like these over the past month or so.

I’ve been thinking about them, and two things come to mind.

First, what a privilege it is to be surrounded by people who tell you what they genuinely think and feel. People who don’t hold back their appreciation. Who see something beautiful in you and actually say it out loud.

People who aren’t constantly nitpicking your progress. Who have breathed so much life into you that even when they offer feedback, you receive it like a precious jewel.

Sometimes, someone else’s belief in you helps you see possibilities you haven’t fully seen in yourself yet.

Second, when I started saying no to people, places, and spaces that no longer felt right, I made room for such fairies to enter my life.

Around these people, I am 1000% myself. There isn’t a single cell of fakeness in how I interact with them. I don’t edit myself when I speak. It’s just the real me. My insides are my outsides.

We talk so much about choosing the right partner. But choosing our friendships and the other relationships we surround ourselves with every day deserves thought and care, too.

Who do you share your ideas with? Your excitement? Your disappointments? Your seemingly ridiculous dreams? Who do you turn to for help? And how do you feel after spending time with them?

I’m learning that making room for these friendships also means saying no. No to relationships I keep carrying alone. No to spaces where belonging requires self-abandonment. No to places where I can’t be myself. My body now rejects the very thought of having to shrink myself to fit in.

But here’s what I also want to tell you: even when it feels really scary, do not settle for less.

When we settle for less, it’s as though we’re telling the universe, “This is what I deserve. This is what I’m asking for.”

There may be moments when you feel alone because you’ve let go of relationships that no longer bring out the best in you. That loneliness can make you question your decision. It can make the familiar feel tempting again.

Give yourself time.

When you become fully yourself, you can also inspire others to become more themselves. When they see you honoring your needs and standing by your standards, some will choose to grow alongside you. Your courage can encourage them to speak more honestly, ask for more, and stop settling in their own lives.

But some relationships will still need to be left behind. You cannot make that choice to grow for someone else.

So my wish for you, my dear reader, is that you do not settle.

Make room for people who bring out the best in you, and whose best you help bring out, too. ❤️