It should be no secret by now that the people around you can help you find success in life, and that many of your achievements were only made possible in the first place thank to who you knew, but many people are still stumbling around today unaware of the fact that who they hang around with matters. Rather than spoiling your potential by spending time with dull people who drain your energy, it’s imperative that you surround yourself with happy and successful peers.
Here’s why it’s imperative to surround yourself with healthy peers and mentors, and the proven reasons that the people around you are to thank for some of your success.
Success is contagious
If you’ve ever been around successful people in your life, you probably already know that success is contagious, and can rub off on even the unluckiest amongst us in the right circumstances. If you’re having trouble succeeding in life, whether it’s at school, work, or in some social endeavor, there’s a strong chance you’ll have a better shot at attaining victory if you’re surrounded by healthy and successful people striving towards the same goal.
It’s no mere fantasy to intone that happiness and success is contagious, either; it’s actually scientifically proven that happiness is contagious in social circles, with success spreading like wildfire amongst friends and family members. You can only imagine the inverse, then, and how dismal the results would be for your professional success if you only ever spent time around depressed people with no goals or motivation. If you’re sincerely struggling every day, you should consider looking at the people around you and ask yourself whether you can make any changes.
Like happiness, success, too, is contagious. A child who is mentored by a wise teacher grows up to be a better student than a loner who has to learn by his or herself; if you want to find success, you need a mentor to help show you the way. Finding success is often a matter of finding someone to lead you to a new, exciting place to teach you a myriad of new skills. Figuring out how to find a great mentor and be a good student, then, is an important step if you’re stuck on the route towards success.
Both in the professional workspace and at home, the people around you will be a major factor in either your success or failure. A supportive spouse, friends who are willing to lend a helping hand, understanding and sympathetic colleagues and even just kind-hearted strangers often go a long way towards fueling our creative and professional success. This is why it’s also important to be a strong ally to others in your own life; if you want the people around you to succeed, you need to be a strong and healthy part of their lives, too.
You are the company you keep
If you surround yourself with people of ill repute, without doing a background check, you shouldn’t be surprised when your own reputation takes a hit. Similarly, it shouldn’t startle you to learn that hanging out with the best and brightest around has a way of brightening your image in the minds of others. Whether you’re trying to bolster your public image or merely trying to improve yourself for your own sake, having friends and acquaintances who you can call upon for letters of recommendation and social support is vital to success.
Identifying the right people to hang around with is easier said than done. You’ll want to be on the lookout for a series of personality traits that typically foreshadow success; honesty, cheerfulness, and a willingness to go an extra mile are all traits belonging to successful professionals. Familiarize yourself with the myriad of things that successful people have in common if you’re really intent on joining their ranks. If you only surround yourself with people who are lazy and seldom push themselves to new limits, you can’t possibly be expected to evolve for the better yourself as time goes by.
Keeping ranks with people in high spirits is a fundamentally important part of remaining happy and successful yourself. No one walks alone in life – even those who have achieved the most in this world often stand on the shoulders of others who have gone before them. Never allow yourself to be fooled into believing that you can go it alone. If someone else’s presence is unhealthy or diminishing you, never be afraid to cut them lose, as getting rid of the bad people around you is just as important as surrounding yourself with successful champions.
Over time, you’ll come to realize that the
people around you were responsible for many of your achievements. Strive to
keep company only with the best and most well-intentioned of folk, and you’ll
find yourself successful and more fulfilled in no time.