"The quickest way to gauge the quality of your relationships is to make a positive change. The humans who are with you for the right reasons will behave the same, but the humans with you for the wrong reasons will quickly make themselves known."

—Mark Manson

That's the truth — raw and unvarnished, like stripping paint off an old chair to see the wood beneath. Life's full of these chairs, and the humans sitting in them.

Change? It scares the hell out of most. They cling to routines like a drunk to a bottle, terrified of what letting go means. But you? You're the type who ditches the booze, starts a diet, or swaps TV rot for a book. And that's when you see it — the shift in those around you.

The real ones, the soul-diggers, they don't flinch. They might even join your book-reading or toast your sobriety with water. But the others, the fair-weather friends? You change, and their puzzle's missing a piece. You're not their party animal or yes-man anymore. You're different, and they didn't sign up for different. They drift away, like leaves in autumn. They're not about you; they're about what you were to them.

So why bother changing? Because that's where the gold is — the solid kind, not the glittery stuff that washes away. It's finding who loves the real you, not the convenient you.

Imagine living without second-guessing, being genuinely yourself with a tribe that gets you. That's freedom, unbuyable, unsellable. It's growing, evolving, becoming. And those who stick around? They're your cheerleaders, your supporters, your challengers.

It's not just about feeling good. It's about building a real life, not wasting time on flimsy relationships. Surround yourself with humans who love the real you, and life's less struggle, more journey. It's about finding your tribe, your crazy, your brilliant.

So, make that change. Start that hobby, chase that dream, be you. The ones who matter, they'll walk with you. The rest? Let them fade. Life's too short for anything but brutal, beautiful honesty — with yourself, with your company.