I went to an event a few weeks ago here in Atlanta that was a conversation with Alex Elle. I have followed her for years and she shares such beautiful wisdom, but I have never read one of her books. I saw that she was coming to Atlanta via my book club and said I gotta go and so I did. She wrote a new book called ” The Company We Keep and I have started it, but I want to talk about what the title means to me and what I hope to gain from this book. Let’s dive into the Company we keep with Alex Elle.
I saw that she wrote this a few weeks ago.
It had me thinking to myself shat I wan to quit instagram to. Although my Instagram is private and I love that for me it’s still tiring to run a business on one, and I don’t always feel like showing up. Sometimes I don’t want to post a picture or a video I just want to write out my thoughts, which is why I love threads so much, but that’s not what we are here to talk about we are here to talk about the company we keep.
When I first heard the title I said hmmm this book is about the people we keep around us. They say you are like the company you keep. I tend to agree because who you are around matters as you get older. You want people who will uplift, gently tell you when you are wrong, support you when you can’t support yourself, and will be honest with you, even if that means making you mad. I have some good friends around me, and I love them, but as I get older, I am opening myself up to having new friends with new fresh perspectives on things. I am looking for more connections and more ways to grow into my older self.
I have only read the first chapter (I’m a litte behind) but so far I love the book. One of the things she talked about in her conversation here in Atlanta that resonated with me is that when we meet people we should start off with some truths about ourselves so that the person who is wanting to get to know us can determine if we will be a good fit and we aren’t wasting our time trying to get to know each other.
I love that idea so now when I meet people I ask for them to tell me the honest truth about who they are so I can determine if it’s something I want to be around immediately. I will find out anyway you might as well tell me upfront. For example, I will tell people I’m not a talk on the phone girl and you may not hear from me in weeks. If you are the type that needs to constantly be on the phone or need that type of attention then we probably won’t be able to be friends. Introduce yourself and tell something people something honest about who you truly are.
I shared a video above of another aha moment that Alex shared (hopefully it plays)
Going to her event at the Library was so good and when I tell you she was on time and we were in and out she didn’t play abou ther time at all. I also love how the host asked her some ice-breaking questions in the beginning to set the tone. If you haven’t gotten her book, go ahead and grab it so that you can take stock of the Company you keep.
Here are two icebreaking questions I would love to ask you. Please feel free to answer them in the comments, or keep them to ask others.
- How do you handle forgiveness?
- What’s a small thing that makes you mad?
Thank you for seeing things through my lens.
