A very important factor that determines and quietly shapes your life in ways you may not expect, is the people who you surround yourself with. The truth is that the people you surround yourself with matter more than you ever think. These are your friends, your colleagues, acquaintances, your circle. These people can actually push you towards growth, or they can pull you into stagnation. Whether you realise it or not, your environment is constantly influencing your life, your mindset, your decisions, your choices, and even your habit. Many of the things happening in your life, whether good or bad, can directly be linked to the people in your inner circle.
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I remember what I experienced when I was in school some years back. When I entered newly, I made friends with some students. But I suddenly discovered that it was beginning to affect my studies. They would come around, gist, and all, but not a mention of academics. Then I had to advise myself to stay away from them. I then found a study group, and then I joined myself to them. They became my friends and it was a positive addition to me. We would set a day to come for tutorials, where each of the group members would have studied a particular topic so they can teach it to others. This made me studious, and I grew academically. This goes to prove that your circle has enormous influence and impact on you.
Humans have the natural tendency of being influenced by association. For example, if you spend a considerable amount of time with people who are disciplined, driven, and focused, their energy will rob off on you. You will see yourself thinking bigger, taking bolder steps, acting better, and even aiming higher. But if you spend time with pessimistic people, who just sit and wait for things to happen on their own, you will imbibe their attitude. You will feel less motivated, and there will not be zeal to even take any step. You tend to adopt the mindset of the people who you stay dominantly with. Your circle can either be of positive influence on you or may be breaking you.
Being in the midst of a strong positive circle will challenge you to grow, and will make you to be on your toes to take actions. These are the people who will not paint words for you, nor tell you what you want to hear, but rather they will tell you the truth that you need to hear. They will correct you when you are wrong, motivate you when you feel discouraged, and celebrate your wins without feeling threatened by it. They will also inspire you to become a better version of yourself, so you will not become too comfortable with who you are at the moment.
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On the other hand, a toxic circle will negatively impact on you. These are the people who have normalised pessimism, mediocrity, and they give excuses about anything and everything. Staying with them will make you discouraged from following after your ambition, you will start to give excuses why things are not working, instead of looking for the solutions. It will also make you to remain docile. Staying for long in that kind of environment can make someone to lose their confidence, and it will ultimately limit their potentials.
It is worthy to note that not everyone around you today is meant to remain there forever. As you evolve, there is also a possibility that your circle will evolve. This does not mean that you should begin to look down on others, rather it means finding the people with similar mindset as you, who also align with your values. If your circle is not positively impacting on your life, then the truth is that it is already negatively impacting on you. This is why you have to show intentionality when choosing the people who stay in your life. However, you have to be the kind of person that you want in your circle before you can find people to fit in. After all, "like" will always and definitely attract "likes." So be the right person, and make the right friends, and form the right circle.
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