As an introvert it’s important about who I spend time with. This is one reason that when I network, I run from those energy vampires. You know the ones both online or in person? They profess to have an interest in helping you, getting to know you, but their actions are incongruent. The conversation doesn’t move forward. It goes nowhere. No big surprise. I do my best to not connect with this type but it’s hard to tell from the get go.
Even when I select friends I tend toward people who are more optimistic, open and have similar interests. Recently I had lunch with a new neighbor. I discovered she is quite a successful entrepreneur who is expanding her business. Her energy was so refreshing from some of my other neighbors, particularly the women, who don’t work. I’m not being snobby here, it’s really just a preference. Many of their conversations are often draining for me because they want to either complain about this or that, or they stay at the small talk level.
My new friend – she reminded me twice in quite specific terminology that she feels we have the start of a great friendship – was excited about the restaurant we picked for lunch, talked happily about her business, and delighted with the fact that we each made time in our busy days to have lunch.
Why would you surround yourself, if you could choose, with anyone less than this? My friend and colleague Snowden McFall, my guest blogger, has some wisdom about how to Surround Yourself with Winners:
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Jim Rohn
Your success in making any goal or dream come true has so much to do with your attitude and your mindset. And that is largely influenced by who surround yourself with. The quote above is profound and all too true. We limit or expand ourselves by the company we keep. Whether we like it or not, their views, their attitudes, and their limitations all too often inhibit our growth or contribute to.
Choose to be around winners as you work on your dreams.
Find people you admire and cultivate them.
Seek out others who are working on big plans and share ideas.
Consider developing a mastermind of people who are working towards something special and meet several times a month to encourage and support each other.
Avoid negative people and even cut down on time with critical family members.
Surround yourself with winners to create your success – you deserve it.
Want to hear more about this?
Join Snowden McFall, a 29 year entrepreneur, professional speaker and author of 5 books, including Fired Up!: How to Succeed by Making Your Dreams Come True!, and Stress Express! 15 Instant Stress Relievers on an upcoming free teleclass! will take you to the registration page for 5 Secrets of Making Your Dreams come True!
Do you have five people you can identify that you spend the most time with? How are they affecting you? What special tips do you have about success being more of a mindset and attitude?
You’re a connector Susan, like me. I find that connectors tend to hang around with supporters. You love to be able to both support people that you can AND put people in touch with others who can as well. Nice to be in your company!
Hi John! I can’t wait to see more of your blog. I think Networking Superstars is onto something for certain.
Snowden is a friend. We collaborated about 2 or 3 year ago and she was a guest speaker for a telesummit for entrepreneurs. She is so giving of her wisdom. Yes; she has experience and she’s so willing to share what she’s learned from it that has helped to make her successful.
I love the part where you quote ” you are are an average of the five people you spend the most time with”. How true that is.
If we have a dream, surrounding ourselves with people who will support us in our endeavor is necessary. It also means that we must be willing to do the same in return. That is the part I love, the sharing of support of each other’s dreams. It is such a powerful force, isn’t it. 🙂
That is how it should be – you are so right.
It is the quality, not quantity, of the people who surround you that matters. That is why I really like the Networking Superstars. It is from this small beginning…….
A great blog and many thanks.
Cheers John Barton
Hi Patricia, thanks for the video post. Ms. Snowden gives a lot of great advise here. Hanging out and learning from the successful is how to overcome obstacles. It really changes our mindsest and allows us to move forward overcoming new roadblocks and doing things we never thought possible. The power of who we work with is amazing, especially if you have Ms. Snowden by your side. Seems like she really has experience. See you at the top!
Rick
You nailed it with this post. Think positive and get positive results. You can’t do that if you keep company with people who are ‘downers’ and ‘complainers’.
Pat, this post is spot on!! Susan is 100% right.
Did you make the video? It’s good, which is unusual in blogs:-)
Geek Girl, and you can only think positive if you are around people who are what Snowden calls, fired up!
Catarina, Snowden does her videos. Isn’t she AWESOME! And that comes through loud and clear on her seminars.
Pat — wonderful advice that I wholeheartedly subscribe to. I don’t belong to a master mind group but I have a small circle of friends — who actually started out as business colleagues and still are — but we connected on an almost spiritual level. What’s important about our relationship is that we can can be open about our wins and our losses without fear of losing face. We bounce ideas off each other. I can honestly say I love them dearly. It’s important to get the negative people out of your life if you can. They drain your energy.
Jeannette what a wonderful situation to share here. Master mind group sounds is just a label for something like you describe. It’s usually just more formal with meeting time, accountability, and size. But in the end it is what you say: get naysayers out of your life and only keep people around who fire you up. YOU are on my list of people for that.
Mandy thanks for taking the time to noodle the quote around. It’s just easier to rise above when the people around you also believe that it’s possible versus being around people who take you down with them.
And I love the freedom to choose everything!
Hi Pat,
I had to read that quote a couple of times. I don’t entirely believe it, but do know what it is trying to say. I think we can all be strong enough to rise above our circumstances and be better than what we might be dragged down into. So I think it’s about attitude, but don’t discount that for some people who you are surrounded by may have a profound impact on who you are. Isn’t it great that some of us get to choose who we are surrounded by!
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy