A PSA On Being the Average Of The 5 People You Spend The Most Time With

I am pretty sure you’ve heard the saying that you are the average of the 5 people surrounding you, right? I have something to tell you that it is terrifying: It is bullshit, because it's worse.

You will become the people that surround you.

If your group is toxic and bad-mouthing others behind their back, you will start too.

If they are bitching all day long about how others are responsible for everything, you will start too.

If they love their 9-5 job and you want to be an Entrepreneur, I have some bad news for you.

Action plan

1. Drop anyone that is bad mouthing others. And I am not talking about teasing. You need to focus your time and energy on building cool stuff and not talking about other people’s lives. Everyone has their own issues and problems.
2. Stop bitching (unless it’s for releasing stress).
3. Add diversity. For me that was a huge pivotal point in my life. I am blessed that I have friends with different backgrounds, different opinions and different goals in life. Thank you :D
4. Put something recurring on the calendar. I love having our Thursday basketball or our “guys night out” (where we don’t go out but we have barbecue). Creating traditions with friends is what creates stronger connections. Plus, if you cannot stand a person over a barbecue, well… you know what to do.

Have you ever been in that position? I would love to hear more about it and how you managed to get out of it.

Previously published here.