A couple of weeks ago I had a discussion with a friend of mine about what it takes to achieve our goals in life. The main conclusion of this conversation is that a large amount of how successful we are in life comes down to the people we spend our time with. Strange as it may sound no matter how independent or self-efficient we are greatly influenced by those closest to us.
Impact People Have on Us
Many of us have all type of relationships some platonic, significant other, co-workers, or family members. However sometimes we don’t realize the power they can have on our lives. If you want to know where your life is heading look at your friends. If your friends are going places, have a spirit of excellence, kind, generous, courteous, and pursuit of success then those qualities are going to rub off on you.
The Significance ‘The Wrong People’ Can Have
Associating with the wrong people can affect our lives in a major way. The wrong people can negatively influence, discourage and mislead us just because they might not have our best interest at heart. The great thing is there are a bunch of amazing, positive, goal oriented people just waiting to help improve and shape our life in a positive direction. But here’s the key: If you’re spending time with the wrong people, you’ll never meet the right ones. A quote that always resonates with me is “You can’t hang out with chickens and expect to soar with eagles”. This simply means that if you want to reach your already predestined greatness hanging with people that aren’t going any place will only drag you down.
Who Are You Spending Time With?
Unsuccessful people find other unsuccessful people in other words birds of a feather flock together. Making sure the people closest to you are heading towards success is crucial. My challenge is simple no matter how smart, talented, how many skills you have acquired, where you are from or your family background. All that matters is where you want to be in life and the people you surround yourself with. An additional thought, you shouldn’t spend a lot of time with people that are always negative, people that are constantly discouraged, you have to keep them cheered up, keep helping them fix their problems Now, I am huge component of helping other people I have dedicated my whole life to do so. But if you are constantly giving to a relationship or friendship, and aren’t receiving anything in return you might have to reconsider if that person is someone you should be spending your time with.
Final Thoughts
If we are on the road to success we must surround ourselves with the ‘right people’. The key that most all successful people point to is “when I changed my friends and the people I surround myself with my whole life completely changed”. Sometimes we tend to pick up on habits of our friends without even noticing it. We all have friendships that started off great then became toxic and it can be difficult to end a relationship or friendships after you have invested a lot of time, effort and energy. Have you ever had friends or family who weren’t right for you at that moment in your life? Also have you found those great people in your life who influence and help improve your life? Comment below & if you liked this post please share!
Copyright ©2016 Jay Colby All Rights Reserved.
Jay Colby 
I read this and thought hmmm Jay Colby – you must be living in my head.
After a re-awakening that almost brought me to my knees, I decided to overhaul my life as practically possible. I have cut off a number of people after a careful assessment; and for some people who encourage or inspire me to be a positively thinking and acting human being, I have consciously drawn closer to them.
So much joy comes from this self awareness.
Negativity should be kept away as much as possible and if we do not aspire to have much qualities that our friends possess, then we shouldn’t be friends with them. They may be right for someone else but certainly not us. This is what I believe.
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I agree with your points. Negativity can only us down and should limited as much as possible. The “right people” are all around us especially when we let go of the wrong people. Thanks for reading & sharing!
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Jay loved your post so inspiring.
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Thank you!
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This is all so true! You become like the people you surround yourself with. I like to surround myself with positive people who are working towards their goals, and have a great mindset 🙂 🙂
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That is amazing & thanks for reading!
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I have certainly felt the drag of negative people in my life. Good, strong advice you give here.
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Thank you!
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The timeliness of this post in my life is incredible. Thank you so much for sharing!!
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Thank you I’m glad it resonated with you!
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Great article, I agree 100%.
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Thank you!
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All those that I talk to daily are still on there way to success. We motivate one another. Great post
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That’s great I always go with the train of thought. That we will be successful as the people we talk to for no reason. Thanks for reading!
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I have been thinking about how this is true for some time, I notice that when I hang around positive people not only does my inspiration and drive increase, my mood also increases!
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I’ve noticed the same thing that’s why I try my best to surround myself with positivity.
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I heard some time back that if you hang around with 9 broke friends eventually you will become the 10th. Another great article. So true
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Yes that’s very true. Thanks for sharing & reading!
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I don’t think we should avoid negative people, as they need our help, but maximizing our time with healthier relationships is good advice so that we continue to be an inspiration to those who need better role models.
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Great insight. Thanks for sharing!
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I love this one Jay…
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Thank you!
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You’re Welcome
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I love this – asprinkleofjoyyy xx
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Thank you!
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I love this post, and it is all true. ” You can’t hang out with chickens and expect to soar with eagles” best sentence I heard in a few days 🙂
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Thank you I’m glad it resonated with you!
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Jay, I hesitate to comment on this because I do believe it is true. We are who we hang out with and yet this isn’t always so black and white. We are all so different that I think when someone goes ahead to do something a little risky, others around them can become afraid they will be left behind. Their interactions then can have so much negative impact, and it is often subconscious on their part. Likewise that negative impact is repeated in those that would drain our energy and yet hesitate to give even a small portion back because it might hold them back. The irony is hilarious.
I love the post because it is matter-of-fact and to the point but I hope you don’t mind it makes me a little sad we often can’t take the people we care about with us on our journey. I am only just now managing to juggle this and move forward.
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Excellent post and great advice.
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Thank you!
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This is so wonderful I love it ! I totally agree having the right people around you is everything. Thanks for sharing!
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Exactly without right people we can let negative people hurting our chances to be successful!
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Absolutely and that just can’t happen 🙂
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You REALLY want to re-evaluate your ideas of what constitutes success!
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Excatly thanks for reading!
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This is super stuff! ☺️
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I moved from Minnesota to California in 9th grade and found some incredible people. My new friends came from other parts of the world, or had multiple jobs and alternative mindsets, something completely new to me. It felt like a whole new world had opened up. After graduation several of these friends went on the travel the world, something growing up that I thought was never in the cards for me. But these friends were not rich, or down on their luck- they made things happen. Once I realized how much is possible by seeing my friends do it made me realize there are endless OPPORTUNITIES 🙂 best people that could’ve happened to me.
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Thank you for sharing your experience & that is a great explain of the people you spend your time with have a huge impact on you no matter what age you are!
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It’s wonderful when our friends can help us broaden our world view and thus our place in the world. Good for you to embrace this new viewpoint.
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Yes!!!!! This is so important and it is something you MUST be aware of and make conscious choices around.
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Exactly thanks for reading!
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Very well written!
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Thank you!
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I always say “misery loves company”. There are so many people who want to keep you down. You have got to learn to separate the real from fluff and dump the fluff. Well said :-).
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Life has just naturally ‘purged’ out the people in my life that were leading me absolutely nowhere good or productive. Now it’s just to find my ‘tribe’ of the RIGHT people now that the wrong ones are out!
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I tell my daughter this allllll the time 😂
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Hubby and I had a convo about this today. I can;t wait to share this with him.
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Very good read. I loved “If you want to know where your life is heading look at your friends”. Much of my 20s was hanging out with people going nowhere. I honestly felt bad when we drifted, but now I realize it was a good choice because I know I wouldn’t have made the connections or have certain opportunities I have today.
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I enjoyed this article. It’s very important to surround yourself with like minded people. The older you get, the more you realize how imperative it is to let go of negative individuals.
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This is a great post. It is funny because I have a co-worker I was speaking with about this. I’m going to share it with her to see what she thinks.
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Good Stuff and VERY true! I remember back to my college days, after we all moved home and started on our “real world” journeys I lost a lot of friends but I found more that were more for me and pushing each other in the right direction!
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Good read. Surrounding yourself with like minds and the right company is something instilled in my long ago and what you said certainly rings true.
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I am so inspired by you! I have been following your posts and you have blog entries on EVERYTHING!! Thanks for sharing and keep up the GREAT work!
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There were so many quotes I wanted to paste down here but the best was “An additional thought, you shouldn’t spend a lot of time with people that are always negative, people that are constantly discouraged, you have to keep them cheered up, keep helping them fix their problems.” OMG!!!! This is totally draining.
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I agree with this post. I also think it’s good to have some people in the middle. Sometimes you can want to be with the eagles but you’re struggling to get there, so it helps to have people who are in the same situation to relate to while you repair your wings.
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I must agree, which reminds i need to find some business owners to hang out with. I want to have multiple streams of income
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Your article is very inspiring. I do agree with all the points you made.
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Wow!!! I’ve seen God move people out of my life. One person especially was not a great influence. Now I see why they had to go!!!
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Very true. We need to surround ourselves with positive, supportive, and motivated people! People who inspire you by working hard, putting themselves out there, trying new things. The ones who encourage you to take a leap. I’ve been around people who try to encourage me to take the easier, more travelled route. I’m starting to realize that maybe the route with no guarantee will be more fulfilling.
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Another great post. You are truly inspiring and very intelligent.
One time I watched a documentary about the friendships we have and how they are a representation of ourselves and where we are headed in life.
Gosh- I forget the motivational speakers name. But it was on Netflix. He believes FRIEND stands for:
Foundational
Relationships
In
Everyone’s
Natural
Domain
We basically rely on our friends to empower us, and we often find ourselves mirroring their actions/goals.
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