Its almost the end of National Poetry Month. I just want to share a final poem before the month ends. Of course, many more to come.

The theme of this poem is perseverance. It looks at the idea that each day might come to an end but our individual fight continues.

-Kevin

When faced with the harshest of situations, the decision is up to us. Will we rise to the occasion and prove to be better than anything outside of ourselves or will we continue to let life pass us by? Do not let negative circumstances define your abilities to persevere, or your internal strength. You are as great as you believe and state that you are!

When looking at those we surround ourselves with on a regular basis, who are the top 5 people that we are in contact with the most? After taking a minute to come to this conclusion, take a second or two to reflect on the following question: Are those people you seem to be spending most of your time with enabling you or holding you back?

When I do a self-examination, I would first list off the top 5 people I spend my time with as being my boyfriend, coworkers and family. It has been a long road of recovery and having to alter many relationships, but now I can proudly say that none of the relationships in my top five fall under the category of holding me back. I am now able to identify first and foremost if a situation or relationship is harmful to my growth, and I feel like that is very vital to my transformation as my recovery journey as a whole.

I urge you to take the time to perform a self-evaluation. Are the people closest to you hurting you or helping you grow? Do you need to let some of those people go or perhaps learn to rearrange your circle of contacts?