Lifestyle

Your Inner Circle Could Destroy You

by Evelyn Pelczar
Stocksy

The long, uphill road towards success is one that requires many changes and harsh lessons along the way. Many of these obstacles involve you breaking yourself down and building yourself into a brighter and better you. You will never become the best human being you can by resisting personal development and learning. You are your biggest threat or your greatest advantage. However, never forget that whom you surround yourself with will also play a part in making or breaking you.

Choose those who you allow to enter your inner circle wisely. Do not ever make the mistake of believing that your willpower is enough to overcome whatever influences your friends or acquaintances may have on you because you are only opening the door to difficult mental and emotional situations. Negativity and positivity are like slow-acting snake venom, which seeps into you little by little until it consumes you. Surround yourself with clowns, and you too will eventually become a blue-collar, no-direction loser like they are.

Successful people are careful to attract those who are like they are, and repel those whom they do not wish to be like. Make friends with people who share the same energy and zest for life that you do. You want your inner circle to bring you up, never down. Get to know individuals who are smarter than you, and more experienced. Work with people who will challenge your opinions in an effective and intellectual way. You want to be encouraged and focused, not crestfallen and distracted by other peoples’ lack of productivity.

Lazy, unproductive and negative friends and/or coworkers are nothing but dead weight, and should be treated as such. They will pull you down, and fill your head with doubt. Why on Earth would you want to hang out with someone who has no interest in making you a better person? Keep your distance from people with ridiculous problems, because before you know it, their issues can become yours, then you are back at square one.

This is not to say that you need to dump your old friends for newer models. Of course you can still hang with your buddies, or go to the club with your girls. But some of these people need to be pushed to an outer circle. If they are not helping you reach your dreams, or at least encouraging you, then they have no business in your everyday life. Start phasing them out from best friend to acquaintance status. This process is not always easy, and often times unpleasant. Then again, nothing is easy when you are an entrepreneur. Start thinking about what is necessary for your success and forget about pleasing people.

Often times, being successful requires sacrifice. Cleaning out and tightening your closest circle of friends, family and partners is a necessary step in improving your personal life. Those closest to you set the tone for how you live your life, so be responsible about whom you allow to influence you.

Keila Camacho | Elite.