In the words of Dan Pena, “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future!”
Whether you like it or not, your environment influences you: the people you hang out with and the individuals with whom you spend the most of your time, all have a mark on your perspective. You adopt their mannerism and behavior either willingly or unwillingly.
Your friends reflect who you are!
We all would agree that friends are an essential part of our life: they are among those people with whom you feel a sense of belonging, trust, attachment, and comfort. They lend you their shoulder to cry on and offer you guidance whenever you need; you might not realize it but their influence goes beyond the moment. But what if I tell you that your friends are the reason you are afraid to make the right decision, they are the ones who are pushing you down.
Right Friends+ Determination = Future Opportunities
Your friends have a significant influence on whether you perceive life as a world of possibilities or a world of restrictions. Lets understand this with an example. Suppose John and Ben are two roommates where John loves to smoke every day and often encourages Ben to join him. Ben tried smoking once, twice, and unfortunately succumbed to smoking. Will you blame John for inviting Ben, or will you blame Ben for accepting the offer?
Regardless of who you choose, you must admit that John’s influence is why Ben began smoking. But what if the situation changes where John is a guy with huge responsibilities who is doing three different jobs to pay his bills and send money to his single mother. Ben notices every day that he is working very hard and gets motivated.
Ben pushes himself to work harder by investing in his growth and development and is ultimately earning twice his regular income. Now whom will you credit for this situation, John or Ben?
Our friendships determine the prominent factor in attaining our goals, whether or not we remain in the shadows of what we may have become, and whether or not we are brave enough to pursue it.
As mentioned above, I believe that we all are a sum of the people’s personalities with whom we spend the most time. We spend a good amount of time socializing with our peers. It doesn’t even have to be active; you spend time reading their messages or following them on social media. Whatever your relationship with your pals is, they affect your thinking, experiences, and self-perception. Friendships must edify, nurture, and encourage you in a specific way.
Your friends are your pillar of strength!
You can encourage each other when you have friends that share your aims. You can collaborate on your objectives and support one another in achieving them. While you can accept other people’s perspectives and differences, choosing friends who share your beliefs can prevent you from compromising or being negatively impacted by individuals who do not share your values and standards. Friends with similar ideals can assist one other to stay accountable.
You can tap into the skills, talents, and abilities of others who have competence in areas where you lack them if you have the correct friends. Friendships ease stress, bring comfort and delight and keep you from feeling lonely. Developing friendships can have a significant impact on your physical well-being.
Learning, growing, and progressing are all required aspects of life. You can learn from each other when you have buddies like this. It’s usually helpful to have a friend who can suggest a good book or provide knowledge to assist you on your journey.
So, does choosing your friends shape your future?
While choosing the perfect friends, look for those that possess the qualities you desire. If you lack confidence, surround yourself with individuals who exude confidence; if you have difficulty talking, surround yourself with people who are excellent communicators.
It may be frightening as I’m likely asking you to face your worst concern. As someone who has done this a million times, I can assure you that once you gather the guts to take the initial step, you will be more confident as you iterate and ultimately become the person you desire. Everything changes when you surround yourself with the right people.
