One of the best kept secrets in life, is the value of friendship. We’ve heard about this, but, do we really understand it?
On many occasions, we’ve been told that, “You are the average sum of the five people closest to you”. I came to realise, a while back, that the people you have in your life, surrounding you, have the power to build or break you. It is very critical and crucial that you know and understand the level of impact that your friendships and relationships have on your life.
When we were growing up, our teachers and parents would encourage us to look for role models and mentors because they wanted us to find people to look up to. People we can associate ourselves with. Because they knew what it meant to have a mindset influenced by the thoughts and actions of another.
We could easily go on the defence and argue that we are independent in mind and soul, that we are unaffected by external factors, but that would be a lie. Human beings need one another. We influence one another. We decide how our lives turn out, and consequently influence the lives of those around us.
When we choose our friends, we often end up with people with similar characteristics to ours. If you are an adventurous person, you will be more inclined towards people who value adventure and travel. If you love business, you will be more inclined towards entrepreneurs and business owners.
The thing about friendship is, the more you interact with people, the more you assimilate their behaviour. We find ourselves adapting certain characteristics by virtue of exposure and familiarity, because the more we experience these things, the more they become okay to us.
As we grow up, we realise that friendships are the focal points of our lives. They give us balance. Truth be told, being an adult is probably the hardest and most complicated part of the human life cycle. We need friendship now more than ever. And, it’s not just any friendship. We need one with a solid foundation, with great support, understanding, love and happiness. Our friendships become the compasses of our lives.
When you look around, you will see that most of the people that face depression will say that they felt alone. They felt that no one had their back or there was no one to support them. I cannot emphasise enough exactly what it means to have good friends and a great support system. It’s like having a constant supply of oxygen. It’s essential!!
The friendships we create determine who we are. You should be okay with people associating you with your friends, because they represent who you are. They say that birds of a feather, flock together. And that couldn’t be any more true. A lot of us are stuck in life because we keep friendships that anchor us and keep us from moving forward. They drag you to certain levels.
Your circle should want you to grow. They should clap when you win. They should push you out of your comfort zone. They should influence you to become better. They should not put you down. Your circle should be the ones sending opportunities your way, not holding them from you. Your circle should elevate you. They should not be the ones making you feel less important. They should force you to level up.
And if that is not the case, you need to go back to the drawing board,and start over.
To a great week!
Hello, September.