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Be Careful of the Company You Keep

Upland, CA — Jim Rohn, renowned businessman and personal development guru, said you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Which means everyone in your life counts. We really are impacted by those with whom we spend the most time. Whatever you call them, your inner circle, closest friends, posse, or entourage, it’s critical that you recognize how they are affecting you. Ask yourself, what would your friends say about you reinventing yourself? Which ones would be encouraging and which ones would be discouraging?

I have a personal mantra: “If you aren’t a wind in my sail, you are an anchor on my tail and I have to cut you loose.” Some people offer gain, and some are just a drain. As you prepare to become happier, healthier, wealthier, wiser, and more successful, evaluate the people in your life and identify which ones can help or support you to arrive successfully to your new destination. Good friends and people who are supportive will help make you a better version of yourself.

It is important to be surrounded by good influences, people whom you look up to, admire, and want to be like for positive reasons. People like that will assist you in your reinvention and reinvestment in yourself because they will help you see your value in ways that maybe you haven’t seen it before. But now I want to talk about the bad influences. I know from personal experience that bad influences can take you down the wrong path. They can make you think thoughts you’ve never had, make you do things you’ve never done, and take you places you’ve never been. None of these things are intended to make you a better you. Everyone who smiles in your face and pats you on the back may not be your friend. People with bad intentions who could also be bad influences are all around you. If you don’t know what and who they are, you could be adversely impacted by them. The bad influences that I allowed in my life led me to make bad choices and poor decisions, and they took me away from my core values. Their influence broke my moral compass and took me down a rabbit hole that led to unhappiness and confusion. I was not getting better; I was getting bitter. I was blind to the effects of their influence.

When you decide that you are going to take total and complete control of your personal and professional destiny, you need sunlight. Negative people bring the darkness. You need people in your inner circle who are doing things, going places, and moving upward and forward, not backward. If you want to accelerate to a new career, a new job, or a new life, then you have to be the driver of your own success bus. As the driver, you determine who gets on the bus and where they will sit, and you determine who gets off the bus. Negative people will keep their foot on the brake and prevent you from moving forward or going anywhere. Positive people have their foot on the gas and they will drive you to new places that will ensure a successful arrival at your destination.

When you make up your mind that you are not going to be a victim of the virus and you focus on changing your life by changing how you think, changing some of your habits, identifying new goals, and surrounding yourself with positive influences, good things will begin to happen.

Ron Williams is Vice President for Personal Services Plus, LLC. (www.personalservicesplusllc.com). His latest book is called “Rhythmic Leadership:  The Book That Makes its Readers Better Leaders. He is also known as the #leadershipwhisperer.

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