Personally, I find I’m most successful when I do a few things: 1) Wake up early, 2) Read blogs and websites, and 3) Socialize with certain people.
I know, that last tip sounds horrible, but it can very much be the truth. We become what we associate ourselves with. This was recently discussed in a blog (step 2) that I was reading titled “6 Things You Do Daily To Become Your Best CEO.”
In bullet point “Rumor Has It,” it discusses how you might need to make new friends at work in order to be highly successful. For many of us this sounds horrible, but for those of us that are passionate about our businesses and strive to get them off the ground, we can take a quick look around and quickly understand.
For example, over the past several years I have associated myself with a multitude of people and personalities. Some of those people were highly successful, some mildly successful and some just loved their jobs, and considered themselves successful — many times I believe the latter is just as successful as those with financial success.
However, within those circles that I chose to associate myself with, there were a few that I enjoyed being friends with, but had no commonality with in terms of lifestyle. These people, though they had all the potential in the world, were excuse makers. They would develop ideas, but never execute for a certain reason. I found that a lot of these people always had an excuse. They had extraordinary dreams, but also an excuse as to why they couldn’t accomplish these dreams. I used to refer to them as “The People Who Can’t” — or how they came to be called.
I came to call these people this because I CAN NOT stand the word “can’t.” Moreover, the one time I might use the term “can’t” is when describing that I can’t stand the word. But, as you can see above, I will likely spell out “can not” — I digress.
I found that the more I was around these people the more I would put off new ideas or ventures. There was never enough time, I continually hit roadblocks and let them become permanent boundaries. There became a reason why I couldn’t make a dream happen.
Early this year I started removing some of these distracters from my life. It was like opening the blinds on a sunny day. All of a sudden I could see my dreams and ideas that would bring those dreams into fruition. My thoughts seemed more solid and I reverted back to removing the “can’t” from my mind — because even though I never verbally said it, when I surrounded myself with certain people, the word would be beaten into my mind.
Towards the beginning of spring I noticed a few of those people reentering my life — I noticed the roadblocks returning as well. However, this time I realized what had to be done. I removed the distracters from my life, and quickly found myself back on track, building my dreams.
I’m sure some people will read this article and think I’m cruel for removing “friends” from my life. However, friends aren’t people that bring you down or keep you from your dreams. True friends are positive people that push you and enhance your belief in yourself. Once you realize who those people are, you should surround yourself with them. You’ll realize how much clearer your mind is, how happier you are and how successful you can be.
I’ve never possessed friendships with people that would be considered bad by societal standards. The people I’m describing aren’t thieves, drug users or complete slackers. But, some people, although good, aren’t always good for someone with motivation and extraordinary dreams. They simply remind you of why you CAN’T do something.
Tyler Montgomery is the editor of Club Solutions Magazine. Contact him at tyler@clubsolutionsmagazine.com.
