Who are your influential five?
Most of us are familiar with the idea that the environment we live in affects the person we are, the characteristics we portray and the way that we behave as humans.Others are affecting your career
Have you ever considered that the people you keep around you could affect the path of your future and career?We all need family, friends and mentors in our lives, people we turn to for advice or solidarity when times are tough, the people we trust and are influenced by. However, have you ever stopped to think that maybe some of those influential people may actually be having a negative impact on your life, even subconsciously?
We are the average of the five people we spend most time with
Five people around you are determining your success and they are
people you chose to do so. It has been a recent hot topic among the
business world that personal career success comes down to the people we
place closest to us, our influential five. Motivational speaker Jim Rohn
famously said that “we are the average of the five people we spend the
most time with.Some of the most influential and successful people in the world surround themselves with other driven motivated successful people that they trust, an insurance of positive guidance along their path in life. It also is said that positive people attract positive people, as successful people attract successful people. It comes down to the law of attraction or so many, like Oprah Winfrey, believe.
Be thankful for what you have in your life and you will end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never have enough “ Oprah Winfrey
Successful people mind their environments
They are also mindful of who they surround themselves with.So maybe when we wonder why we are not where we thought we would be in life, it is worth considering the factors outside ourselves that are influencing our professional lives.
Who are your five?
Think of the five people who are most influential to you in your life, who would you trust and turn to for advice?Now rate them from 1 to 10 relative to the level of positive influence they have on your life and be honest. Do they push you¦no matter what? Or, perhaps each individual offers a different perspective on things which can be of great value collectively, or are you simply institutionalised in your thinking by the influence of your five?
Where do you go from here?
Be open to change, just because the five you have may not be the right people to take guidance and advice from, this doesn’t mean that they were not important in the development of your career and life at another stage. It also doesn’t mean they can no longer be in your life, just lean in the direction of those who can have the positive impact and influence on your life that you need.There are factors in life outside our control and those that we have the power to change:
Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t. ? Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
Assess where you want to be and who can help you get there
Who will have a positive influence in your life. We should surround ourselves with people that enhance our lives, people that encourage us and help us grow. If you do not have that already, start to make the necessary changes.You may be influencing others
There is also a flip side, as much as others influence you, you may be influencing the lives of others.Consider what that influence may be; are you a positive and influential factor in someone else’s life or are you the weak link in their influential five. Be cognisant of the effect you may have on others and ensure that you offer the best guidance and advice you can to those who seek it. By the law of attraction, treat others as you would like them to treat you. Offer them the same quality guidance and honesty that you search for yourself.
Choose your company wisely. Be relentless with surrounding yourself with those who bring out the best in you. Your direction in life depends on it. And while you’re at it, have the courage to be a good friend to those who choose you.