“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
Jim Rohn
I believe this to be true. Surrounding yourself with negative people will only bring you down. Surrounding yourself with positive people will exhilarate you. Lift you up. Make you want to be a better person.
We cannot always choose who we surround ourselves with. At a workplace, there are all kinds of people and most likely there are some that you really dislike. Other parents at your children’s sports practice, personnel at their school. These are also people that you have to relate to.
Although we have to find a way to interact with all kinds of people we can choose who we want to spend time with. How do you know who that is? Turn to yourself and ask how being around that person made you feel. Were you uplifted and soaring after the encounter? Did you feel calm and at peace? Or did you feel as if you should curl up under a blanket and stay there at least for a few days? Well, then you know what to do.
The tricky part is when that person who makes you want to cover yourself with a blanket is family. What to do? The same rules apply although they can be a bit more difficult to implement. If the person brings you nothing but sorrow, ditch them.
The only difference is that when it’s family you should work harder at trying to figure out a solution that works. Simply because even though you might have ditched them, others in your family will not and you are bound to bump into them at family reunions. Then again if family reunions only bring you down ditch them too.
This whole blood is thicker than water. I don’t buy that. You can build your own family. Genes have nothing to do with it.
When it comes to children we sometimes force upon them that they should play with all other children. The idea being that no one should be excluded. While they must learn to interact with everyone, we must not force them to play with someone they don’t want to play with.
Put yourself in their shoes. How would you feel if someone used their authority to force you to play with someone you didn’t want to play with? Angry? Frustrated? Upset? Misunderstood? Is that how you want your children to feel? I’m betting no.
If you surround yourself with people who make you feel miserable your children will pick up on that. It doesn’t matter what you tell them, they will do what you do. So if you want to help your kids form healthy relationships you have to do the same. No way around it.
Remember to show the people that you want to surround yourself with that you genuinely appreciate them. That you value their friendship and what they have to say and offer. Help them in every way you can. Give even when it’s not asked for. Even small tokens are immensely appreciated simply because they are not expected.
That’s the secret to living a fulfilled and complete life. Helping others! Nothing beats that. In helping others you also help yourself to become a better person. To give and expect nothing in return is the greatest gift of all. Try it today!
Photo: Anna Henricson
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