During a recent vacation with my youngest daughter, we got into a discussion on friendships.
“Who are your best friends, mom?” was the question she posed to me.
That really made me think.
Are best friends the people who you’ve known the longest?
Are best friends the people who you have the deepest conversations with and with whom you share your secrets and inner most thoughts?
Or, are your best friends the people who you spend the most time with?
It was definitely something I have thought about a lot during the last two weeks, since we returned from our trip.
It made me think about the wise career advice I heard many years ago from a speaker: “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.”
When I heard that advice many years ago, it made me think deeply about who I spend my time with. Bottom line, if I want to “up my game” or “improve my life”, then I decided I should think strategically about who I spend the most time with.
As I was growing my career and my business, I shifted my time investment away from childhood friends, to those who could challenge me professionally.
I joined several professional organizations for business owners and leaders to help me expand my mind and up my game.
I strategically and purposefully shifted who I spent my time with.
And with the change in my mindset, my goals and my success skyrocketed.
How about you? Who do you spend most of your time with? Have you ever thought about shifting your network to help you grow?
If you truly are the average of the five people who you spend the most time with, then how do you improve your position in life? You have to raise the average.
Are you spending your time with people who you’ve gotten into the habit of being with, because you’ve known them for a long time, or you share the same interests? Or are you a curious person with a growth mindset who wants to be challenged and learn new things?
If you think about the people who you admire the most (for whatever reason), take a look at who they spend their time with. Success leaves clues.
Onward and upward,
Executive Coaching and Consulting for business CEOs, Owners and Presidents
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