When you were growing up, did your parents ever tell you that they didn’t want you hanging out with specific kids? Did they encourage you to hang out with other kids?
I know mine did. I wanted to hang out with the popular kids who were usually “C students.” She wanted me to hang out with the smart kids, the “A students.” Why is it, that the smart kids are rarely the popular kids? (Revenge of Nerds, anyone?)
Your parents probably knew that you could turn out to be like the kids you hung out with. They were looking out for you.
It is not that different now. You can choose between two groups of people when it comes to your success: those that are contributing to your success and those that are holding you back.
People that contribute to your success are people who:
- Have a positive attitude.
- Are goal driven and focus on solutions.
- Uplift you.
- Encourage you.
- Mentor you.
- Celebrate your victories.
People who are holding you back are those people who:
- Complain about everything.
- Blame others for their situation.
- Judge others.
- Have a negative attitude.
- Put you and your ideas down.
- Stress you out just by being around them.
Where do you spend your time? Make a list of everybody that you spend time with, those that in your circle. Include your family, friends, co-workers and colleagues, clients, neighbors, and people in your civic and religious organizations. Everybody!
Go through the list of names one-by-one. Put a plus sign (+) next to the names of the people who contribute to your success. Put a minus sign (-) next to the names of the people who are holding you back.
Now that you know who’s who in your circle, focus on spending most of your time with the people who contribute to your success. Need to add (+) people to your circle? Go to professional networking events, join a country club, attend local meet-ups, volunteer with groups that align with your values, or join a civic group.
That means that you will have less time to spend with those that are holding you back. If you can, avoid those people completely. That’s not always possible though. If you can’t avoid them, try to limit your time with them as much as you can.
Oprah Winfrey said, “Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.”
This blog is based on Success Principle #25 Drop out of the Ain’t it Awful Club and Surround Yourself with Successful People.
If you like this, get future postings, tips and notices of events sent right to your email box. Sign up here: http://www.jodihempel.com/email-sign-up/