One of my goals for the new decade is to step away from and avoid toxic relationships and situations. I am glad to say goodbye to the past decade and plan to move forward by surrounding myself with people who live with integrity, pass less judgement and show more empathy toward others.

It’s okay to outgrow people in life. It’s healthy to set boundaries when a relationship turns toxic (and some do) and say to them “I have a place for you in my heart, but not in my life.”

Life is short but has many seasons and people grow in different ways. My late mother used the Shakespeare quote “to thine own self be true” many times when parenting me through the tough relationship situations in my youth. I love that quote and continue to live by it today.