Friendships and like-minded people - how your environment can change when you go vegan

Your view of the world changes and suddenly everything is different. You look at your life differently, at what is happening in the world and how we deal with it all. You look at your fellow human beings differently and you probably reassess their behaviour all of a sudden. It simply happens because you always have images and scenes in your head of how animals and nature are treated nowadays.

The cosy afternoon barbecue is no longer a happy get-together, but a macabre, unconscious celebration of animal exploitation. The year-long, monthly brunch with friends no longer feels light and cosy, but gives you a stomach ache in advance, because on the one hand you can hardly eat any of the food on offer - or rather you don't want to - and because on the other hand you keep getting involved in emotional, gruelling discussions.

A happy shopping trip with your best friends turns into an exhausting horror trip from one animal exploitation product to the next. And the cosy coffee in between makes shivers run down your spine because it only comes with cow's milk and you know what has to happen for it and the others now find it annoying that you can't even make an exception.

Everything is suddenly different and, above all, exhausting and extremely emotionally draining. Because you look behind the scenes and can't just carry on as before. No more relaxed, understanding togetherness with the people you have been so close to.

If we open our eyes and our hearts and look, as emphatic, animal-loving people we simply can't go on as before. It simply doesn't work. A new, very consciously chosen value is then probably "protecting life". Or even "equality". "Peace". "Respect for life". Once we have decided in favour of these values and want to live them wholeheartedly in our lives, we can't go on as before. And that is the moment when we run full force against our past and it hurts. We have chosen and lived our previous environment of people, situations, hobbies etc. on the basis of our previous values. But when our own values suddenly change, there is tension and life forces us to deal with it. It forces us to realise what we actually want and where we direct our energy. In other words, what we spend our time on and who we give our attention to.

This is the moment when we probably ask ourselves whether we are now completely socially incompatible! Are we really so extreme and different that we can no longer get on with other people? And whether we're freaks who now have to completely isolate ourselves and can no longer live happily and relaxed in this world... That's not so far-fetched either, because the mainstream is different and likes to let us know how extreme it is and that we're really acting out. Do you know what? NO! You're not a freak. Quite the opposite. You are a soul that expands its consciousness and allows itself to see more than what we only want to see. But also that which is there and which we didn't want to deal with until then. You are a soul that begins to open its heart and focus not only on itself and its own ego needs, but on the big picture. A soul that expands its consciousness and takes the wishes and needs of all the other individuals into consideration and tries to take them more and more into account. That doesn't make you a freak, but a kind-hearted, conscious, wonderful person 🙂 But you are not part of the masses, you are different. Special. And that's why you stand out and make other people suspicious.

When we expand our consciousness and open our hearts, it can be really painful at first. We recognise suffering and grievances and allow them to reach us. This enables us to suddenly make decisions from the heart and not just on the basis of a reality that we have previously deluded ourselves into believing. But if one piece of the puzzle changes, it is inevitable that our entire being will change as a result. And what we then perceive on the outside can also cause extreme stress. For ourselves and for those around us. We humans are creatures of habit and shy away from change. So if one of the people involved in a friendship relationship changes, the entire relationship puzzle has to adapt in order to find a new balance. And this is where things often come to a head and lead to unpleasant situations. And this is exactly where you are needed. Are you ready to allow change within yourself and on the outside after you have changed your values? And above all, are you ready to really realise all of this? Or does a potential change on the outside scare you so much that you prefer to undermine your values, hide them or simply not really live them? But you realise that you're not really comfortable with it and you feel like you're betraying yourself?

What if tomorrow your life was over? Would you want to spend your last hours fighting and wearing yourself out? Or would it feel better to spend the hours filled with joy and relaxed company? I know this is an extreme question, but none of us really know when our journey on this earth will come to an end. You are the most important person in your life. If you have one task in your life, then in my eyes it is to make sure that you are happy. Because when you are happy and balanced, you also directly ensure that those around you are happy - without you having to do anything. Anything else is a struggle and quite a waste of energy - for everyone involved. So if you imagine your life like a bus with limited space for passengers - who would you like to invite on board so that YOU feel really, really good? Who would you like to actively offer a seat to? Who is currently travelling with you because they have somehow always been on the bus but you have never really said yes or no to it? And now imagine that at the next stop you make a conscious decision about who you let off. This is important, because seats on the bus have to become available first if someone new wants to get on. And now ask yourself who you would like to offer a seat on your bus at the next stops. And suddenly there are fewer and fewer people on your life bus who are not good for you and drain your energy. And step by step, there are more and more people on the bus who are really good for you, share your values and give you energy. How good and how right does that feel, please?

You can give yourself permission to let people go if they are no longer good for you. And it doesn't matter how long you were friends. Honour and respect the good times you had together and keep them in your memory. And yet friendships and relationships can come to an end if they are no longer good for you. There is nothing wrong or reprehensible about that. Quite the opposite. We would be lying to ourselves and the other person if we invested time and energy in a relationship that wasn't doing us any good and was uplifting. Life can be easy and we are the bus driver of our life bus. So it's up to you alone to decide who travels on it and helps shape its inner life. People who share our values, world view and ideas are soul buddies who can release energy in us that we would otherwise always let fizzle out in a fight. When we surround ourselves with like-minded people, we don't constantly worry. We don't have to constantly think about whether we can be like this. It becomes easy. It becomes carefree. We become more and more whole. And we can simply be in harmony with our deep essence. What can arise from this is like magic. I have experienced it with myself and with all the like-minded people around me. The energy that is released when we surround ourselves with like-minded people is so creative. It can bring wonderful projects into the world. It creates a deep sense of connection and allows each individual to believe in themselves more and more in such a healing connection. We begin to be able to create wonderful things out of lightness. And through this we can then really touch and change the world. So: who is good for you and who would you like to consciously let ride on your life bus from now on? And who will you lovingly let off at the next stop? Remember - you are the boss of your life bus!!! :)))