Well it is a simple measure of observation and this post will be nothing new. However, I do hope you take a look again as we all need to take inventory on the answer of each of these questions every few months if we are to stay sharp and accomplish the goals in life that we seek to obtain.
It has been said for years that you are the sum of your five closest friends. Well, let’s look a bit into this and maybe just maybe a line or two in this post will actually challenge you to make you look intrinsically and say I can’t stop brushing that portion of my life as an “it doesn’t matter..it does not affect me” anymore if indeed I want to be the best person I can be. Huh? Let me explain.
When we look at the people we hang out with we can pretty much see what we are from an outsiders view. Sure there are extremes in all groups but for the most part a group encourages conformity in a silent way. Take a look and see if any of these areas can be improved in your life. If just one of you makes a change than this post was worth it for me.
Is your Saturday and Sunday spent recovering or do you have a soccer game to look forward to on those mornings? Do your friends network or do they drink their net worth?
Do you drink 5 nights a week? If so, do you do it by yourself? I would venture a guess and say no you probably have a few pals that you meet out. Is this wrong? It all depends on who and what you want to be. I am certainly not one to judge someone else, as it is really not in my nature, but take a look and see if this is something you can change. That being said, have you hit your goals? If the answer is no then perhaps you should look at that area. Even if you say you don’t drink much each night and are functional in the morning I ask are you looking at all of the possibilities that could be created by freeing up a few nights? You could join a club, a networking group, or a sports team! These are all good ways to spread out and get to know people. Getting to know people opens different doors for you. Who knows where your next opportunity is going to come from, but I would bet it won’t come from doing the same thing with the same people that you have been doing if indeed you are in this category. You will also notice that as you start to change this behavior your circle of friends will start to change. It is not a bad thing per se! You will start to be around different people and you will notice that you will conform a bit more to what they are like. It is amazing to see how grammar, posture and overall well-being can change so much just by associating with different people. It does not mean that the others are not your friends anymore but remember this life is about you and what you want to accomplish. If you want something different than you need to do different things. Change is scary but it can also be very very healthy. Are your current friends helping you achieve by pushing you or are they keeping you in the same static place that has you wanting more in life?
Who do you hang around with at work? Are they your equals or do they have that which you might want?
Do you go to lunch every day with your equals and talk about the brown-noser who has lunch with the higher ups in the company? If so, I would bet that you will be stuck in that same position for as long as you continue to practice that same behavior. I remember when I was a paralegal and how I used to take part in this. I meant no ill will, but I found myself stuck in document production hell bates labeling pages for hours upon hours. When a new case came along my position did not shift, as I had done nothing in order to make that happen. Only towards the end of my paralegal career did I get my head out of my butt and start doing what the paralegals that were getting the cool work did. It took me a while to learn, but I finally realized that I needed to be the turkey socializing with the attorneys and higher up paralegals if indeed I wanted more mind challenging fun work. A shame it took me 2 and half years to figure this out, as the last 6 months of pro-bono interesting casework was amazing. So I ask you who are you hanging around with at work? Are you talking about someone or are you the one being talked about? Answer that question and know that one is DEFINITELY better than the other for you. I hope my lesson is one you can take as real and not one that you have to go through yourself. Put yourself around those that can challenge you in a positive manner at work and you will get rewarded. It is a simple principle that I encourage you to practice daily. It is something that will reward you one million fold!
In concluding this post, I re-emphasize that this is all simple human nature. My hope is that it serves as a reminder to you to re-evaluate yourself and where you want to be very often. If you are not there than look at whom you are hanging around with and whom you choose to associate with in your work place. I guarantee that you will find this principle to be in effect. If you are around wealthy people you will find that you will soon enough become wealthy if you indeed put forth the effort to achieve. If you are around people who have less you will find yourself to soon enough have less. My question to you is what do you want to be when you grow up? If indeed you are not there than maybe you need to do something different. What do you think?
To your success
Young guns always wanted
Wesley Anderson
Great looking website Wes,
I just need to hang out with you more. I hope to see you soon.