You Are The Average Of The Five People You Spend The Most Time With | Jim Rohn Motivation

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

Now I want you to pause for just a moment and really think about that.

Think about the people in your life right now.

Who are the five? Who do you allow into your mind?

Your time, your conversations, your space?

Because you see life is a sum of influences

and we're constantly being shaped and molded by the people we associate with.

Whether you realize it or not, those five people, the ones you spend the majority

of your time with are setting the standard for your thinking,

your behavior, and ultimately your destiny.

Now some of you may be thinking,

Jim, I'm my own person. I think for myself, and I would say to that,

of course you do. We all have the power of independent thought,

but I'm telling you important influence is subtle

and it's powerful. It sneaks up on you when you least expect it.

Influence is like a quiet stream that gradually erodes the banks of your

life, shaping it, molding it, directing its flow,

and the key question is, where is that stream leading you?

Is it leading you to greatness or is it leading you down a path of mediocrity?

When I was a young man in my early 20s, I was struggling.

I was ambitious, yes, but I didn't have the right guidance.

The right influences in my life. I was trying to figure out

how to make my way in the world, and then I met my mentor.

Mr. Shof, Mr. Shof was a remarkable man.

He taught me so many lessons, but one of the most profound lessons was this.

Jim, you've got to watch the company you keep.

You've got to surround yourself with people who are where you want to be.

Before I met Mr. Shof, I was spending a lot of time with people who had

small dreams, limited visions, and I didn't even realize it at the time,

but their thinking was rubbing off on me. I started to think small too.

Now, let me ask you this, who are the people in your life

that are influencing the way you think? Are they encouraging you to think bigger,

to reach higher, to push past your limits?

Or are they content with the status quo? Are they pulling you forward?

Or are they holding you back? Because I'm telling you,

you can't soar with the Eagles. If you're hanging out with turkeys,

I remember a conversation I had with a man years ago.

He was frustrated with his lack of progress in his business.

He said, Jim, I've been working hard. I've been doing everything I can,

but I just can't seem to get ahead. So I asked him a simple question.

I said, who are you spending time with?

Who are your closest friends? Who do you talk to about your business?

And he thought about it for a minute.

And then he said, well, most of my friends are struggling too.

We're all in the same boat. There it is.

He was in a circle of people who were reinforcing his current level.

They weren't pushing...

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Him to grow.

They were keeping him where he was.

Now I'm not saying you should abandon your friends or walk away from relationships.

That's not the point.

But what I'm saying is this.

You need to be very intentional about who you allow into your inner circle.

If you want to elevate your life,

you've got to elevate the quality of your associations.

You've got to surround yourself with people who challenge you.

Who inspire you.

Who are living the kind of life you want to live.

I've had the privilege of working with some incredibly successful entrepreneurs and leaders over the years.

And one thing I've noticed about all of them is this.

They are very careful about who they associate with.

They know that their environment, the people they surround themselves with,

plays a critical role in their success.

They seek out mentors.

They join mastermind groups.

They build relationships with people who are ahead of them.

Who are doing bigger things.

Why?

Because they understand that success leaves clues.

If you spend time with successful people,

you start to pick up on their habits.

Their thinking.

Their strategies.

It's like osmosis.

You can't help but be influenced by them.

Now, think about the reverse of that.

What happens if you spend your time with people who are negative.

People who complain all the time.

People who make excuses.

What do you think that does to your mindset?

It drags you down.

It pulls you into their world.

And before you know it,

you're making excuses too.

You're settling for less than your best.

And this is why it's so important to be selective about your associations.

You've got to guard your mind.

You've got to protect your mental environment like you would protect your physical environment.

If you had a beautiful garden,

you wouldn't let weeds take over, would you?

No.

You'd pull them out.

You'd make sure that only the best plants were growing.

They're well the same as true for your mind.

If you allow toxic influences, negative people,

limiting beliefs, small thinking to take root,

it will choke out your potential.

So how do you go about changing your circle of influence?

How do you upgrade the people you spend time with?

First, you've got to do an honest assessment.

Look at your current relationships and ask yourself.

Are these people helping me grow or are they holding me back?

And remember, this isn't about judging or blaming anyone.

It's about taking responsibility for your own life.

You have to decide what's more important,

maintaining relationships that keep you comfortable,

or pursuing relationships that push you to grow.

Now, once you've done that assessment,

the next step is to start seeking out new associations.

And I know this can be a little uncomfortable.

It's not always easy to put yourself in new circles,

especially if you're used to being around the same people for a long time.

But growth happens outside your comfort zone.

And one of the most powerful things you can do for your personal development

is to intentionally put yourself in environments where you are the smallest fish.

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Ground yourself with people who are ahead of you.

People who are doing things you admire.

People who inspire you to step up your game.

I'm telling you, one of the best decisions I ever made was to seek out mentors and leaders

who were far ahead of me in business and in life.

I learned so much just by being around them.

I watched how they thought, how they made decisions, how they handled challenges.

So, and over time, their influence started to shape my own thinking, my own behavior.

When you're around high achievers, it forces you to raise your own standards.

It pushes you to think bigger, to aim higher, to believe in what's possible.

And this is why I encourage you to find mentors.

Find people who have already accomplished what you want to accomplish.

And here's the thing, they don't even have to be people you know personally.

You can be mentored by people through their books, their speeches, their work.

Some of my greatest mentors are people I never met.

But I studied them, I learned from them, I absorbed their wisdom.

And that's shaped who I became.

Here's another important part of this.

Proximity is power.

It's not just about who you know, it's about who you spend time with,

who you're in close proximity to.

You could know some amazing people, but if you're not spending time with them,

if you're not having conversations with them,

you're not getting the benefit of their influence.

You've got to be intentional about creating opportunities to be around people who inspire and challenge you.

That might mean joining a group, attending events,

or reaching out to someone you admire and asking for their time.

But here's the key.

When you do get around these people,

don't just be a passive observer, engage with them, ask questions, learn from them, be curious.

One of the reasons I was able to learn so much from Mr. Shelf was because I was always asking questions.

I wanted to know how he thought, how he made decisions, how he achieved his success.

And I'm telling you, successful people love to share their knowledge with those who are genuinely interested.

But you've got to be willing to ask.

You've got to be willing to learn.

And here's something else to remember.

The people you associate with aren't just influencing your career or your business.

They're influencing every area of your life.

They're influencing your health, your relationships.

Your mindset, your habits.

If you spend time with people who prioritize their health,

who are disciplined, who have good habits, guess what?

That's going to rub off on you.

You're going to start adopting those habits.

You're going to start taking better care of yourself.

But if you spend time with people who are lazy, who make poor choices,

who don't take care of themselves, what do you think is going to happen?

You're going to start slipping into those same patterns.

That's why it's so important to be mindful of the influence of the people around you

in every area of your life.

Now, let me ask you this.

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If you could choose the five people you want to spend the most time with,

who would they be?

Think about that for a moment.

Who are the people that inspire you?

That challenge you.

That make you want to be better.

And here's an even more important question.

Are you making the effort to spend time with those people?

Or are you letting life just happen to you?

Because let me tell you, success is not an accident.

It's the result of deliberate choices, deliberate actions,

and deliberate associations.

You've got to take charge of your environment.

You've got to be proactive in seeking out relationships that help you grow.

And I know this isn't always easy.

Sometimes it means making tough decisions.

Sometimes it means distancing yourself from people who aren't aligned with your vision for your life.

But if you're serious about success,

if you're serious about living up to your full potential,

then you've got to be willing to make those decisions.

And here's the good news.

When you start upgrading your associations,

you'll start upgrading your life.

You'll find that your thinking starts to change.

Your habits start to change.

Your results start to change.

Because you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

Think about that.

Let it really sink in.

Because when you understand this principle,

and you apply it in your life,

everything changes,

everything,

you'll start to see new possibilities,

new opportunities,

new levels of achievement.

But it all starts with your associations.

Who are you spending your time with?

Who is shaping your thinking?

Who is influencing your behavior?

Now you might be wondering,

Jim, what if I don't have access to successful people right now?

What if the people in my life aren't where I want to be?

That's a great question.

And here's my answer.

You can start right where you are.

Start with what you have.

If you don't have access to people in person,

then immerse yourself in books, seminars,

audios.

Anything that brings you closer to the wisdom of those who have achieved what you want to achieve.

Make those people part of your circle.