They say you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Well, what exactly does that mean? It means a lot. It means who you hang around defines who you are. And you may think to yourself, no, I’m not like my friends. But in reality, if you’re not like them now, soon enough you will be.
Have you ever hung around a person so much that you started to pick up words that they use? How about asking advice from a friend even if they’ve never been in a position to truly answer your question based off experiences? How you ever discussed major decisions with a close friend? Of course you have. We all do.
Therefore who we hang around determines a lot about ourselves. It is absolutely natural for a person to pick up habits from the people they hang around most. Many times, you begin to like the same things, have the same opinions, and even think alike.
They say birds of a feather flock together because they do! You wouldn’t hang around a person all the time if you didn’t share the same or similar interests. Just think about it, not saying it’s impossible, but if you’re trying to learn how to skateboard, would you begin to kick it with a basketball player? No, you wouldn’t. If you were trying to learn how to invest in stocks would you go kick it with the person that is investing in real estate? No, you wouldn’t.
If you wanted to learn how to play soccer you would find another soccer player to teach you the game. If you wanted to learn how to paint better, you would begin to spend time with a fellow painter.
One of the biggest keys to success is hanging around people that you can learn from. If you are the smartest person in your group you are in the wrong group. Accountability breeds progression. You have to begin to be around people that motivate you and hold you accountable if you truly want to grow or learn something.
Okay, yes, you might be thinking that will make you a bad person. When in reality, you’re choosing to treat yourself badly. No one said you have to stop loving the people that aren’t helping you grow. No one said you have to stop talking to them completely. It’s just about how much time you choose to give them. You’re only one person and when it comes to growth, choices have to be made.
Some people are perfectly okay with the life they live and that’s okay. However, if you want to reach your highest potential you have to let some people go and replace them with someone that’s going to help you reach your goals.
Overall, this is a tough task when you truly love the people around you, but you also have to know that the people around should want you to win. They should want you to grow. They should want to see you at your fullest potential.
So rake some time as you evaluate your life, begins to evaluate your surroundings. Find out who’s helping you and who’s hurting you. Pay attention to how people respond to your dreams and aspirations. Take into account who motivates you and who jokingly laughs at your dreams.
If you hang around 5 chefs, your bound to learn how to cook. If you hang around five scholars, your bound to become one too. If you hang around 5 winners, your bound to win too!