Why who you hang out with, is important

There’s an old proverb that says, “Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are.” Because quite often we become like the people we’re around.

The people we spend our most time with impact on how we think about things, how we act on things and on the decisions we make on a daily basis. Have you ever been around a colleague who didn’t like their job, their boss or the company? Did you find that you started to feel the same way the more you hung around them? It’s probably not the healthiest relationship to be around a lot of.

It is important to take the time to support people in need when challenges are presented, but these are not the situations I’m referring to. I’m talking about the people in our lives who drain us of our energy because they thrive on sharing their own negativity. We already live in a world that surrounds us with negativity – exposed to it regularly through media, dealing with complaints at work, or even from the stranger who drives past with road rage. So why take on more of it, voluntarily? Not only does it impact our perspective with regard to our own lives, it impacts our mental health.

This is often easier said than done though as most people aren’t aware of the types of people they mix with. People are generally reactive, so we hang around people who are in our immediate situations. What we forget is that we are ultimately in control and solely responsible for choosing who we associate with and who we spend time with.

Surrounding yourself with the right people is priceless. When you’re around people doing awesome things, you remember that anything is possible and you can do absolutely anything. So why wouldn’t you want these people to be in your close-knit network? We must find a support system of friends and family who will care and challenge us.

We lean on these people a lot and share our successes and tough times with them, which is why these people should be the ones who support and encourage us.

Therefore, starting from today, take initiative to hang out with people who are positive and bring out the best in you, because you deserve nothing less.