Did you know your associates have a subtle, yet profound, influence over your business growth? Your connections, friends, and acquaintances can inspire greatness, arouse big dreams, spark creativity, ignite resolve, and bring out your best. Conversely, they can invalidate ideas, undo plans, and quash ideas. They can be “yes and” or “yah but” people in your life. 
As entrepreneurs, we move quickly to grow our business. It’s seldom we consider – or are ‘at choice’ – with whom we spend our time. We busily go about our day picking up friends, colleagues, & associates along the way like a stone gathering moss. Jason Harvey in Achieve Anything In Just One Year reminds us of the impact of our associations.
The day’s lesson begins with a quote from Jim Rohn – “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Yikes! What a wake-up call!
It jogged my memory of a seminar I attended years ago. The speaker was a big-haired Texan with a thick southern drawl. She was hysterical and got her point across in a meaningful, impactful manner. She instructed us to make a list of all the people in our lives. Next to their names we were to place a plus (+) sign if we felt better about ourselves after being with them, a minus (-) sign if we felt worse after spending time with them, or an equal (=) sign if we felt the same after spending time in their presence.
After creating our list and assigning each one their appropriate ranking, she continued in true Texan fashion before a stadium of 8,000 people, “If you feel the same or worse about yourself, what in the SAM HELL are you doing hanging out with equals and the minuses.” Point made!
How would you rate those with whom you spend most of your time? What good things do they bring to your business? Do they inspire you to dream big or challenge you to achieve greatness? Do they kindle belief in yourself?
Although you may not believe that your associates can negatively impact your business growth, it’s much better to be ‘at choice’ with those likely to influence you and your business in subtle and substantial ways.
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How Your Mindset Sparks Business Success
Say “Heck Yeah” to Growing Your Business
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