Does this remind you of your best friend?
Who You Hang with is Who You AreYou may have heard some version of the phrase, "tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are," before. We are who we surround ourselves with. I cannot stress enough how important this is to understand in your journey to become successful in life, as well as successful in mastering and addiction.
Here is my little story about how I eventually figured this out on my own, not so long ago.
I was a shy kid growing up, but when I turned thirteen years old and started smoking pot, I became a rebel. I began hanging out with older kids who were always in trouble, skipping school, drinking, doing drugs, lying, cheating and stealing.
My mom always told me that I needed to find different friends. She told me that I was getting in trouble all the time because of the people I was hanging around with. I was young and stupid, but although I knew that deep down I was a good person, I continued to hang out with these so called friends, knowing the stuff I was doing was wrong.
I ended up getting addicted to pot (yet you can get psychologically addicted to marijuana), then chrystal meth, eventually even heroin for over twenty years. I couldn't hold a job, an apartment or a girl, not to mention that I wrecked every car I ever owned. I was in an out of trouble, in and out of jail, even doing prison time in Ohio and in Texas.
When I finally wised up, the biggest and most important step was moving and cutting off my old so called friends. As soon as I found new people to spend time with, things started looking up.
I started staying out of trouble, not drinking or doing drugs. I started taking care of myself better. I started dressing better and paying attention to the way I looked. And best of all I started to enjoy life more. The list of improvements in my life after making that change continues to this day.
Most of my old friends are either in prison or dead now. The ones that aren't still can't keep a job, much less money in their pockets. When I do occasionally run into them, it never fails that they try to "borrow" a buck off of me. And I know if I were still hanging around with them, I wouldn't be doing any better. That is, if I were alive at all.
The moral of the story is that changing who I hung out with changed everything in my life for the better. Sure, everything isn't peaches and cream. I still have problems like everybody else. The difference is, I no longer feel the need to hide from my problems, because I know I can master anything life throws at me.
Some people are good for us, some are not, writes Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, in their book, Safe People: How to Find Relationships That Are Good for You and Avoid Those That Aren't. Safe people are people who help drive emotional healing and character growth. show how we can find the people who will help us down the path to healing and void those who may damage our emotional health.
Tell me Who You Hang with and I'll tell You Who You Are
If you surround yourself with negative, unsuccessful losers you'll begin thinking, talking, acting and ending up like them. Usually, without ever knowing what hit you!
On the other hand, if you surround yourself with positive, successful winners, you'll begin to think, talk, act and end up like them too. Again, so quick, you'll never know what hit you!
Those we surround ourselves with influence us on a subconscious level, whether we want to admit it or not, because our minds are programmed to learn like this.
No matter who you hang out with, you always take a piece of that person with you when you leave.Now in the moment of truth, I want you to take a good look at the five people you are closest to. That is what kind of person you are! Tell me who you hang with and I'll tell you who you are!
Even if you aren't hanging out with people who are getting into trouble, stealing, doing drugs, or whatever, ask yourself this:
Are the people you are surrounding yourself with a positive influence on you becoming the best, most successful and happy person you can be? Or are they holding you back?Now that you have been confronted with yourself, I think you know what you need to do. Its not rocket science. However, if you are like me and many, many otherrs who always seem to end up with bad friends and worse girlfriends, Safe People: How to Find Relationships That Are Good for You and Avoid Those That Aren't provides practical ground-breaking help which lays a firm foundation for personal growth.
Surround yourself with good, successful, positive people and YOU WILL become one as well.
If you have any examples of how "bad friends" led you down the wrong path, Addicts Not Anonymous would love to read about it in your comment, bellow.
Written By: Tom Retterbush
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