Friends are our family outside the closed walls of the house. They have a huge contribution in making us who we are as individuals. Their importance in life is indescribable.

But their impact on our life is measurable…what do I mean?

We are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with…

Think about how powerful this is and that is why I want to speak about this topic.

I will also give you 3 keys to choosing the right friends.

The people you are around could be limiting the quality of your life, so that is why we need to choose these people correctly.

Your...

way of dressing
language
income (take the average)
morals
will power
fat
weight
etc...

is strongly influenced by the 5 people you spend the most time with. Think about these 5 people right now (do it!) and you will see how accurate this is.

Yet, so many people do not put much effort into the process of electing friends. There are hazards in just being with “anyone” because of the impact they have in our lives. Just like a relationship with your spouse, you need to make sure you look deeper into the relationship with your friends. Only having someone around you because they have kids like you or because they work with you (proximity friends) is simply not enough.

So let me give you the 3 keys to making sure you are choosing the right friends.

#1

Make sure your friends are in alignment with your values and who you want to be. In other words, they need to be people who make you better. Whether that is getting onto better shape, start your own business, or simply have morals that you are aligned with. Make sure you are surrounded by those who take you up a level, because if not, they will take you down one.

#2

Ensure that your friends allow you to be YOU! We have all seen those old movies where that kid wants to hang out with the cool kids. And struggles throughout the entire movie to get in that crowd. And then when he finally does, he realizes that he misses his old buddies that allowed him to be him! Be with people who you don’t have to change your essence to be around. If the way you need to change makes you better, then that is a different story. That is stretching you out in a good way and you want to be around those people.

#3

Audit your circle of influence! Ask yourself why you are friends with who you are. And this awareness is critical. Many relationships are just reactionary or simply because you know each other for a while…and that is it! So you need to understand why you are friends and that starts the process of being intentional with who you are around more.

So if you are looking to improve your life, please make sure you choose your circle of 5 closely. You can still love people from far away, as we all have people who we are around that don’t serve us, but we have to see them from time to time. But we can limit that time and ensure that we are around those that truly do make us better. Because, we are who we are around.

You are a badass, remember that!