Misaligned Relationships, Rejection, Guilt, and Betrayal

One of my readers recently asked: How do you stay connected to loved ones who aren’t on a journey of curiosity and growth? I’ll frame this more generally by addressing these question too: How do you maintain relationships with incompatible people who expect you to stay connected?How do you manage shifting relationships while on a journey of growth?How do you deal with feelings of guilt arising from letting go of incompatible people? To answer the first question, my answer is pretty simple. I really don’t. If they reach out to me, I’ll be civil with them, but I don’t see the point of investing in such relationships. I’ve tried to invest in such relationships in the past and concluded that this wasn’t going to work. The compatible isn’t there. The mutual support isn’t there. The flow of energy isn’t there. So why continue to invest? Sometimes people don’t like what I’m into. Or they see my pursuits as threatening. Or they try to talk me out of new explorations. If it becomes clear that I don’t have their support for being who I am and living the life I want to live, it’s equally clear that I shouldn’t continue to invest in such connections. That was disappointing at first. My initial response was to play it cool and be aloof, even though I still valued such relationships on some level. But that wasn’t sustainable. It leads to clinginess and neediness and a host of o...
Source: Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Emotions Relationships Values Source Type: blogs