Good morning all, and still wishing you a happy new year.
Ever heard the saying 'Friends with benefit? ',I'm sure you must have. Well, today I would like to talk to you about friends with purpose.
The year is still very fresh and it is very important that you quickly realise the role the company you keep play in your life. It is said that you would remain the way you have always been, no matter the length of time,except for the books you read and the people you meet. Know first of all that in every relationship,there's a 'rub-off',you cannot be friends with someone for a long time and not pick up some of their characteristics. At the moment you might not know the extent to which they have 'rubbed -off' on you,but there's surely a 'rubbing-off'
In my context today, I would address two kinds of realtionships:
HORIZONTAL RELATIONSHIPS:
Your relationship with someone is horizontal if you are at the same level with them. This includes your friends, coursemates,colleagues at the office. What makes it horizontal is that you are all at the same level of growth, and exposure, most likely with the same level of training.
This year, make up your mind to be a goal oriented person, a result oriented person, a purpose driven person, and as such surround yourself with people who are like minded. Don't have friends,hang out with colleagues, who don't care about purpose ,goals and results,because there would be a 'rub-off'.Common people do common things and have common results, ordinary people do ordinary things and have ordinary results, extra-ordinary people,do extraordinary things and have extra-ordinary results. If that friendship does not inspire you to get better, cut it off! If it does not encourage healthy competition, cut it off! What business do you have fellowshipping with someone who is not going your direction? At the end of the day you would part and you would be alone, so while waste your time! Make up your mind this year to invest in productive relationships.Take a list of your friends, go through it and make necessary adjustments. Some would have to go, you would need to spend less time with some, you would need to spend more time with some.
Never find yourself in a relationship which constantly pressures you to do the wrong things. Run away from such.
VERTICAL RELATIONSHIPS:
This is a relationship between superiors and sub-ordinates. This is usually between leaders and those whom they lead, a mentor and a prodigy,Boss and employee. This is vertical because one is up, and one is down. Usually in this relationship, the one up has a lot to offer, and one down has all the benefits.
When you are in a relationship with someone who is more trained than you are, more exposed, more skilled,and more advanced than you are,you are in a vertical relationship with that one, and you are the one down. Now, the reverse can also be the case.
It is not common to find someone who knows better than you do, interested in you personally, and like I shared in my first article 'The power of mentorship', having such a person in your life is something powerful.
Invest in vertical relationships.This kind of relationship,keeps you constantly on a check, and pressures you to grow and make progress. This kind stretches you, it makes you review constantly your goals, gives you visions and increases your visions. It inspires you to take action in line with your goals, and fuels you with faith to accomplish your goals.
Do you want to achieve your goals this year, or do you want it to be business as usual? If you want to achieve your goals,then you must be willing to do things differently. Start with this one. HAVE FRIENDS WITH PURPOSE.
Thank you 
I love you all. Happy new year.
Remember 2018 is GREEN!
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