Words by Paul Washer

Distance really does give you some clarity on how you feel about people.

Be Conscious of The People Around You & The Spaces You Frequent

Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are. Studies have shown that we become the average of the closest five people in our lives. As humans we are so easily manipulated by others that often times our outcomes in life can be predetermined by people with completely different goals and vision. You must be conscious of the people around you and self assess if they are influencing you in a positive way and how much of that influence they have in your life. Some people you'd want to stay away that your might encounter in your life:

• Beware of that friend who is constantly asking you to hang so they can air all their all their negativity into you, gossip or maybe complaint relentlessly without putting any effort in changing for the better, you can die from other people's misery, and often times its harder to treat a mental illness triggered by someone else or a bad habit than it is treating a physical condition.

• Avoid hedonistic people, the kind of people who only care for the pursuit of pleasure & sensual self-indulgence. You will not gain anything of value from being surrounded by individuals who have no sense of delayed gratification, consciousness for their well being, or have clear goal for their life long term. On the contrary, these people can trap you into their lifestyle of carelessness and meaningless pursuit of momentary pleasures and derail you from your purpose in life. These people are dangerous, don't waste your life because you want to feel approved by them or fit in, be smart.

• Cut off all contacts with narcissistis, they use psychological antics to cage you into their ways and use you for their own selfish gains. Narcissistis appear nice at the beginning and may continue to do so further along, but their goal is to make you feel extremely comfortable with them and to make you depend on them emotionally to blackmail and mistreat you. Spotting a narcissist can be tough, but a huge red flag is gaslighting. Narcissistis are masters at gaslighting because it psychological weakens the mind of their victims and lowers their self esteem and sense of security in themselves.

Finally, beware of the spaces that you might be frequently visiting, certain places are what I call "low vibrational". These are the spaces where you simply don't feel an ease of mind, where you are surrounded by individuals who may potentially harm you and where you feel the need to be at guard. Your senses will tell you when an environment doesn't feel right, don't try to force yourself to fit into those places, listen to your gut and prioritize other environments. Examples of low vibrational places include: clubs, messy house parties, religious institutions where you don't feel welcomed, hostile school environments, public places that may be frequented by low quality people, etc.

Put your safety first and always be conscious of the space you're in, and if your presence there is serving you in any kind of way, you shouldn't shrink yourself to fit there.

i’m such a slut for reassurance my heart literally nuts when you tell me you want me

@yombenjamin

Nigerian Woman during Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Lagos, 1956

Beautiful brown girl

IG:itsbethanydani

Adut Akech by Emma Summerton for Vogue Australia March 2020