Reactors

Family and other loved ones can be like the fuel in our gas tanks, or they can act like a stuck emergency brake we have to release to move forward.

I've been blessed with supportive loved ones, but even they wouldn't have been enough to keep me going if I hadn't detached with love from several people who "brought out the worst in me." That's a rather irresponsible way of saying it, though; the truth is they were just living their life by their rules and I became my worst self in response to those rules.

My biggest mistake was thinking my stagnation or outright regression around certain people meant I needed to work something out with them; really it was a sign I wasn't being true to my own values (or just as often, hadn't fully worked out what my code was).

Much as I wanted to be independent, I was a follower (a reactor).

It's easy to rebel; any fool can charge a machine gun nest. Truly "leading" our own life in a way we can "live with" is our greatest challenge.