A man is known by the company he keeps
Your character and your habits depend upon who you are friends with, and who is your company. What kind of people you are spending your time with? You become the same. They influence you. They can have a significant impact on your mindset, career, and overall well-being.
There is an old story of a man who takes an ass to his farm on a trial basis to see how the ass is. When the ass enters the pasture, he seeks the laziest ass in the pasture and makes friendship with him. When the man returns and see this. He realizes that this ass will also be lazy based on the animal the ass chose to spend time with. So, he returns the ass. The moral of the story is that a man is known by the company he keeps.
From time to time, ask yourself, what kind of company you’re in? What kind of friends do you have? Do they add any value to your life? Do they help you in achieving your goals? Are they draining your energy or inspiring you?
How to identify such people?
As Mark Twain said, “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
Be in the company of positive people. They see positive things in life. They will see glass half-full instead of half-empty. They inspire themselves and others. They try to improve relationships instead of breaking them. They have a problem-solving attitude instead of making things complex. Negative people constantly complain. They will see what is not good in anything. They try to find faults or mistakes or what is missing in anything. Positive people bring positive vibes.
Positive people help you in managing stress as positive thinking improves the ability to handle stress. They help you follow your dreams and aspirations and stay focused on your goals. They offer constructive criticism and positive feedback. They help you make better choices in life.
Finally, they help you become successful in life. So, choose wisely the company you are in. The fear of moving away from negative people should not stop you. Be focused on what matters to you. People around you should help you to move to the next level; and achieve your goals, not to drag you back.