The people who you spend the most time interacting with are a reflection of who you are, or who you will inevitably become. Choose wisely.
Many of us grew up hearing the popular saying, “Well, if all of your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it, too?” This was always asked as a rhetoric question, and although most people would answer “No” if pressed, the facts don’t support that. In fact, research has shown quite the opposite. Many people would jump off a bridge, commit crimes or acts of vandalism, lie, and risk their own lives and the lives of others if their close friends (or the group they wanted to become a part of) did it. This is why cultivating your friend groups and being discerning about who you give the title of friend to is so important for creating a live of peace, joy, and accomplishment.
If you want peace, you cannot keep friends who are magnets for drama. If you want happiness, you cannot be in consistent company with complainers and negative people. If you want to succeed, you must seek out the blueprints, wisdom, and mentorship of those who have already had success in that area. As you grow, in whatever area of your life with which you’re currently discontent, not everyone in your life will want to see that growth, nor will they respect it. But not all of those people will remove themselves from the picture. Some will stay around not to help, but to be hurtful or passive aggressive in order to detour you from your chosen path.
Community is vital. But not just any community. Being with the wrong people, who will not respect or support you, is far more detrimental that going at it alone. Reaching for a goal on your own can be difficult, but striving for something when you’re surrounded by those holding you back is impossible.
