Within everyone resonates the desire to succeed at whatever endeavor they choose to invest time and effort in. In addition to that, there’s something absolutely amazing about watching a friend achieve their own goal. Being there for someone when they reach what they’ve been fighting for creates a plethora of emotions, even if they’re friends you’ve fallen out of contact with. No matter what, you’ll always be rooting for them from the sidelines.

I spend most of my weekends traveling to various competitive events. This has given me the opportunity to befriend those with the same dreams and aspirations as myself. My closest friend- someone I’ve known since the beginning - has always been a decent competitor. However, it’s only now that everyone else has finally begun to see the spark in him which I’ve always seen. Even if I have hours to travel in order to make it home for work in the morning, I refuse to leave his side until he has finished competing in the main event. He has now gained enough traction that he consistently outperforms himself. This even further enhanced my dedication to be there with him through it all, just as I was when he fell short of his goals. The little jump in his step, his smile, and his overall excitement makes it worth anything that could be asked of me. While some let success inflate their egos, resulting in the loss of friends, my friend has never fallen prey to that trap. I’ll forever be grateful to have him.

The next friend I made in my late high school years, was just an average guy who didn’t have too much going for him in the grand scheme of things. Over these past few years, he has accomplished great things he would had never thought possible a few ago. When I first heard of his success, and even when I do today, I can’t help but be proud of him. I know he deserves his triumphs. We used to spend hours just chatting about life, gaming and the idea of spending time together. Over the course of this past year, he decided to completely engulf himself in his new life, leaving behind the ties to his previous life. At first, it was difficult for me to comprehend this decision. He was once one of the people in my life that would put a smile on my face, merely from a notification displaying his name on my smartphone. Despite our recent lapse of friendship, I will continue to be as happy to hear of his successes as I realistically can be for anyone in my life whom I once considered myself very close to.

The most challenging thing is to be happy for someone who has hurt you in their moment of their success. That being said, as time has gone on, it has become easier to process emotions from the past and to reflect positive; to be proud of what has become of people once beloved. It’s too easy to be vindictive and spiteful when watching from afar. To truly test yourself, you must be warm of heart.

To watch someone you have such a strong connection with during a high point in their life, regardless of unfortunate situations which may present themselves, generates such a strong reaction. If given the choice, I’d even sacrifice my own success for that of someone I

care about. I wouldn’t have to even think twice about it.