The Value Of Associations

This past week I ran into a friend of mine who I hadn't seen in quite some time. It was good to see him again, at least for a few minutes.

Then I remembered why I stopped associating with him in the first place.

The guy has a big heart, and you can't help but love him. Unfortunately, he is also an incessant whiner.

He is always going on about how he doesn't make enough money with his job, and how things never seem to go right for him in life. No matter what you say to him there is no shaking his loser mantality. He has chosen to be the victim in life, and to be quite honest I think he enjoys it.

But it doesn't stop there. It's not enough for him to mope and complain about his own life, he does his best to bring the people around him down as well.

He asked me how my 'little internet business' was going. Remember it's been a long time since we had spoken last.

I certainly didn't want to rub anything in here, so I just told him politely that things were moving along and that I had quit my job as a delivery driver last year.

I could see the irritation in his face. This guy was genuinely distraught over my success.

He gave a grunt and said "Well good luck."

But he didn't really mean 'Good luck'. What he meant was 'I hope you fall flat on your face and have to go back to your old job so I can feel better about who I am'.

He's a loser because he projects nothing but negative energy into his own life, and he wants everyone around him fail and be miserable alongside him. No thanks.

I spent just a couple more minutes chatting with him, then told him I had to run.

I really do wish him the best, but I'm certainly not going to spend my precious time letting him sap the life out of me with his pity party no-hoper mentaility. There are plenty of positive, success-minded people for me to hang out with and that's where I prefer to spend my time.

There is a lesson to all this, and here it is.

Think of the most successful person you know. For our purposes today, let's define success as financial and emotional prosperity. This should be someone you know on a personal level, and not a character you've read about in your favorite business or glamour magazine.

Now, ask yourself who this highly productive individual associates with. Chances are the group of folks you identify with this question won't be a bunch of lazy, negative, self-pity freaks.

Now try the same excercise with the least successful individual you know. It's not too likely that your selection for "least successful" is a person who surrounds themselves with positive, productive human beings.

The kind of people we surround ourselves with will have a profound effect on our thought patterns. Since it's safe to say our reality starts with our thoughts, the value of our personal associations can hardly be overstated.

To spend the majority of our time around people who offer us doubt and discouragement is to limit ourselves to a bleak shadow of our full potential. Alternatively, by mingling with those who project confidence and optimism, we are sure to absorb an attitude of determination and tenacity. It's good practice to socialize with individuals who reflect our aspirations.

People who want to whine and complain about how unfair life is, and how they just can't seem to 'get a break' are bad company. Especially when these people want to project their misery and negativity onto you.

One of the best things you can do for your own success and happiness is give these losers the boot and find some happier, more productive people to associate with.