You Are Who You Hang With
Birds of a feather flock together. How many times have you heard that? Well, for the most part, it's true, isn't it? Take a look at the people you spend most of your free time with. With a few exceptions, they tend to be pretty much like you in many ways. Your likes, dislikes, habits, favorite activities, etc., pretty much seem to line all up. Of course, personal style, personalities and personal points of view differ, but for the most part, you GET each other, without too much needing to be explained, right?
Take a look at your "inner circle". Who are they? Are you with a bunch of happy, well adjusted, positive, achieving types, or is your group more of a constant bitch and moan party? Are your friends more the status conscious, social climbing types, striving to be the elite? Or is your bunch the down home, baseball, Budweiser and backyard barbecue type? Are your friends all adventure junkie daredevil weekend warriors? Or are you part of the Mommy set?
Question: How would you feel if someone told you you were "just like" any one of them? If you'd feel okay with it, then, great. You've picked yourself a great group of people to be a part of. That's a cool little test, you know? If being described as being similar to one of your closest friends doesn't send you into a litany of "but I don't...."s and "but I'm not....."s trying to defend against the comparison, then that's a good sign. But if your first reaction is "I am NOTHING like so and so!" (said with a bit of horror and revulsion), then you'd better take another look in the mirror, no?
I think I hang with a pretty good set of people. I look around myself and see a bunch of smart, funny, go getters who work hard and play harder....just like me! ;)
While we're all different in race, gender, upbringing, etc, etc, we all share the same passion for living a great life, working hard and going the extra mile to achieve things. We all work out, do recreational sports, are well traveled, multilingual (by choice, not logistics or necessity), curious as hell about life, and willing to get up off our butts to do some exploring when need be.
We are also hard partiers! I love people who know how to work hard AND play hard!
We're all single and loving it, no children (wait...one is married, but she still hangs),and we're like a bunch of big kids in a candy store with a pocket full of money. The world is our oyster!
The best thing about my friends is that they are the type that would be down if I said, "hey..let's go try to climb Mount Kilimanjaro". YEP! I might not get the whole crew on that one, but trust me, I wouldn't be climbing that mountain alone! My friends are a seriously gung ho bunch of peeps! LOVE them for that! ;)
I'm not bragging....I feel blessed. Not only to be able to live such a life, but to have found such good people to share good times and grow with.
So, what are your friends like? Are they good for you or are they just holding you back? It's said that one of the best ways to be successful is to surround yourself with successful people. I'm thinking the same applies for being happy, staying fit and active, etc. Your friends are there to not only support but also to inspire you. What do you think?
