You are Who You Hang Out With

Have you heard the concept that you are who you hang out with? Look around you. Consider those closest to you, and those you spend the most time with. Do they represent who you will be when you arrive at your highest vision of yourself?

World renowned motivational speaker, Jim Rohn is often quoted for this quote.

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
~Jim Rohn, entrepreneur, author, motivational speaker, 1930-2009

Birds of a Feather Flock Together

You’ve probably heard this all your life. Perhaps from your parents as you were growing up.

We sometimes forget that there’s actually a lot of truth in old sayings. We miss it because we’ve heard it so much that it’s easy to cast aside, rather than ponder; easy to assume we know all there is to know about it. You know… “Oh yeah, I know what that means.”

It’s rare to reflect deeply on something we’ve heard our entire lives. But sometimes it’s a good idea. To grow as a creator and do the work that matters to you, you must associate with others who are doing more of what you aspire to.

Don’t quack like a duck, soar like an eagle.
~Ken Blanchard, author, management expert

Association Matters

It’s about rising into the space and state of being occupied by those who are where you want to go. If you were a pro athlete, you would find the best coaches and associate with the best teams to help you be your best. You wouldn’t be coached by the little league coach.

Hopefully, you and your family and friends support each other. But using the pro athlete analogy, generally, you wouldn’t be coached by your friends, unless of course they’ve achieved what you’re seeking to achieve.

To get to our next level, we must set our sites on it, set that as a goal and immerse in the mindset, attitudes and work ethic of those who’ve arrived there before us.

Hang out with people who will challenge you to be your best and you will become that.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Same thing for anything else in life. If you want to become your best, you must hang out with others who are aspiring to and achieving their best. If that happens to also be your friends, that’s awesome and the best of all scenarios.

If not, it’s time to form new friendships. You don’t have to let go the old, but chances are, if you’re moving upward and onward in your growth and progress, friends who aren’t headed in that direction won’t come around as often anyway. But your true friends will be inspired by you and for you and your progress will elevate and encourage them as well.

When you elevate yourself, you also elevate those around you.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Be the Best Version of Yourself

What is your dream? When you’ve arrived at your vision for your future, what will you be doing? What kind of people will be your friends? What will you do to continue honing your skills and growing your talent?

If you want to lose 20 lbs, then ask yourself, who will I be at that weight? What will I be: wearing… doing… eating… feeling…? What habits will my slim self choose? What do my slim friends eat? How do they think about food? What can I do to incorporate their habits as my own?

If you want to be successfully selling your art online, ask yourself who’s doing that that you can observe and learn from? What can you do—start with just one thing—to move toward their example of success? This is not about comparing. Comparison is useless and detrimental. This is about learning and applying and then imagining yourself in that place of arrival.

The sooner you can see yourself in your future, the sooner you will arrive there.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com

Environment is More Powerful than Will

If you are not inspired by the people surrounding you, seek out those who do. If you cannot immediately change from a negative environment and people, you can at least begin changing yourself and the impact others negativity has on you.

If you don’t currently have any motivated and elevating people in your circle of friends, family and co-workers, you can always tune into folks online and “drop in” on their conversations, via books, YouTube, websites, and their social channels and courses.

If you are to arrive at the life you’ve imagined, you must associate with those who are where you want to go.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com

Move in with the Mindset You want to Live

One of our favorite ways to set the pace for the day is to listen to upbeat, motivational, can-do, inspiring podcasts and audiobooks while getting ready for the day. These help to orient your mindset to where you want it to be… to where it needs to be for your success.

Make use of “ear time” and “hang out” virtually with those who are where you want to go. For a list of a few of our favorites podcasts, organized by category, but all geared toward creatives, you can find that article here.

Make an effort to hang out with those who are where you want to go.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com

So set your sites on your vision and head steadfast in that direction. Become your own “bird of a feather” and attract aspiring creatives to join you in your efforts to be your best version of yourself. Because remember… you are who you hang out with.

There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.
~Ray Goforth