There are some people that if you allow into your ship, they will simply sink the ship if they cannot become the captain. It is not everyone that you should give access to your inner circle. It is true that some people may cheer with you, but others may secretly be competing with you. Trust me, if your inner circle does not share the same value with you, you may stand the risk of stalling at progress. It does not matter how capable you may be, being with the wrong people can bring you down. What a lot of people do not know is that not all enemies are obvious, some are just quietly sitting beside you observing your every move. It is actually better to have a small circle of trusted and loyal friends, than to have a large circle of untrusted people. This is why you have to guard your inner circle, because they can determine the course of your life.
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A friend of mine once shared the bad experience he had in the place he worked before. He was at the mid-leadership position in his department. So a lady who was his supposed friend came to him and discussed how she needed a job placement. Even though there was currently no vacancy in his organisation, he had to plead with the management staff to create one and let her in. After much persuasion, they agreed, and he even acted as her guarantor. But when she entered, a lot of subtle unusualities started happening. But he would still brush it off. A point came when they did an internal reshuffling, so they moved the guy to another department which was lower than his previous one. But the lady got a better department.
After a while again, another policy came up, which also affected the guy negatively, but significantly favoured the lady. Then it was not too long, and an agenda started flying around that gender inclusiveness was not observed at the leadership level, and that women should take up more roles in leadership position. So to avoid issues with the "Federal Character Agency," they adopted it. Now the problem was that the position that was marked was the one that the guy was in. So he was given an option to step down or to resign. Shockingly, the lady was nominated to replace him. That was when his eyes were open that it was the lady that was doing all these the whole time. Imagine someone he pleaded for to be taken, now turning around to plot against him.
While he was telling me all these, he made a particular statement that I still remember, he said; "it is not everyone you allow into your bakery. Some of them can steal your bread, but that it not too bad. Some others may want to steal the baker, steal the oven, and also steal the bakery at last." Trust me, it is not everyone that comes around you that should be your friend. No matter how friendly a lion is, a goat will always be seen as a food for it. You will be surprised to know that some people who smile with you actually have very bad intentions which you may not see. So you have to be careful, and read between the line. Do not take things at just the face value, always attach a level of discernment to it.
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If something does not seem too right about someone, it may just be your gut or your instincts trying to warn you. Sometimes, our minds can actually see what our eyes may be too distracted to see. Your life is like your ship, and you are the captain. In reality, a good captain does not just open his ship and let in everyone from everywhere. Otherwise he may pay dearly for it. In the same way, there are people that are supposed to stop at acquaintances, but not being part of your inner circle. Allowing someone who is not going to the same direction, or sharing the same value with to be your dominant friend might become counterproductive at the end.
Why your inner circle is very important is that they have access to your thoughts, to your plans, and also your vulnerability. And these are very powerful things. When you share these things with the wrong people, they can use them against you in ways you may not even expect. Imagine sharing your plans with someone you think is a good person but working behind your back to sabotage your efforts. Always know that it is your responsibility to protect your space. Protecting your space is not a mark of pride, rather it is a mark of wisdom.
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