Are you getting the results you're after? Do you have the body you desire? Are you exactly where you want to be in life right now?
If you answered no to any of those questions, a consideration worth looking into may be your circle of influence. These are the 5 people you spend the most time with - it could be family, friends, work colleagues, training partners, mentors, or coaches.
Numerous research studies have found that we as humans are a by-product of our circle of influence. Meaning if we hang around rich people, we'll probably undertake actions that leads us towards wealth. If we hang around drug addicts, we'll probably experiment with drugs ourselves. If we hang around a bunch of people that run marathons, we'll start running a little bit ourselves. If we hang around people that eat crap, drink too much and don't exercise…. you see where this is going.
Who did Tiger Woods hang around with growing up - golf experts. He became the best golfer in the world.
Where did Jamie Oliver spend all his free time as a kid - his Dad's pub kitchen. He became one the most renowned chef's in the world.
Paul Allen is an American businessman worth $18.6 billion and is the 40th richest person in the world. He grew up hanging with Bill Gates.
So, what can we do to ensure we achieve all that we're striving for? Simple, have a close look at your current circle of influence and identify the positive people in your life that pull you up and make you better - hang around them more.
Secondly, if you want more people like this in your life, seek them out. Find a mentor, coach or anyone that will have a positive impact in your life. For example, if one of your goals is to complete your first triathlon - join a triathlon club or seek out someone that has completed multiple triathlons already. Simply by being around this person or group of people you'll ensure your focus remains on track, you learn more about this field and you have the support and motivation to achieve this goal.
Lastly, identify the negative people in your life that hold you back from your goals. Once this is done, you can make the hard decision to let these people go from your circle of influence or help pull them up to become a better person themselves (you'll become their positive person of influence in their own life). This can be a challenge and requires someone to actually want to change. However, the reward at the end of the journey could be well worth it - especially if it is someone dear to you.
But I can't abandon my friends you say….
Would a true friend hold you back from achieving your real goals? A true friend will help you become better and achieve anything you set your mind to. Sometimes people may get jealous if they see you moving forward with your goals and life, and this results in them acting out in anger or by suggesting you're the one that isn't a good friend because you've stopped associating with them. This happens because they are stuck standing still and are perhaps not prepared to change and move forward just yet.
But enough about the negatives of it all - the most important thing to take away today is that you are in complete control of who you surround yourself with. And who you surround yourself with will dictate what is possible to achieve with your health & fitness, career, relationships and life.
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
