Unblurring the Lines of Friendship

“Friends—how many of us have them?” We have all been blessed with having at least one person in life we call a friend. With friendships comes an abundance of great talks, laughs, support and a lifetime of memories. They should be cherished and valued as the blessing that they are in our lives. Now don’t get me wrong, friendships also come with hardships, difficult conversations and disagreements, but overall, they are a source of great happiness in the midst of the turmoil faced in this world. And it’s for that reason we must take extra precautions and steps to ensure the friendship lasts by addressing the “little” things that we think aren’t a big deal but actually carry a great deal of weight. Those “little” things are boundaries.

Do You Have a Job or Does Your Job Have You?

Before I start talking about the much needed boundaries around your job, I encourage you to read the first part of this series about setting boundaries with yourself. It sets the tone for the entire series, and if you can’t set a boundary with yourself and stick to it, you’ll find it quite difficult to place them in other areas of your life. *insert Druski meme* “But hey, that’s just me.”

Now, let’s talk about the place that helps you keep the lights on at home—your job. For a place that we spend so much of our life in, you’d think that it would be a place you enjoy showing up to each day. But alas, jobs have drained the life out of many people. You find it increasingly more challenging with each passing day to show up and give your best because, in many cases, they are taking more out of you than they’re giving (you know, kind of like that toxic ex you haven’t let go of). Understand this—your job may pay you, but they don’t own you. And we are going to discuss how to make sure they know that, too.