A Self Improvement CheckPoint: Who do you Know?

As our lives unfold around us, we will continue to find ourselves surrounded by certain people and experiences, and our job is just to deal with what life hands us, right?

NOT!

Is dealing with the cards that we have been dealt part of a proven success strategy? Absolutely! However, unlike a good game of poker, in life we get to choose many of the cards that we keep in our hand!

There is a very much accepted concept in the self improvement and personal development circles which basically states that we are all strongly influenced by the people that we are surrounded by. Most will even put a figure on this, saying that we end up being the sum of the 5 to 7 people who we spend the most time with.

If you spend time with a bunch of quality people, then that concept would obviously work in your favor. However, give a quick thought to the 5 to 7 people that you spend the majority of your time with, and think about what influence they are bringing into your life.

Don't ask yourself if you know 5 to 7 successful people, because just knowing someone isn't enough. This real-world exercise will point to the positive or negative influences that are in your life as a result of the people that you spend most of your time with.

• Co-workers – Unless you work at home, you are probably surrounded on a daily basis by the same group of people at work. Are those co-workers quality people who are consistently bringing positive energy into your life? Do they walk into your work area and bring a ray of sunshine with them, or a storm cloud?
• Family members – As a general rule, you can't pick your family members. However, you can decide how much of an influence you want them to have on your life. Do your parents or siblings constantly give you positive reinforcement and bolster your efforts at living an energetic and consciously created life, or are they a drain on your very will to live – despite the fact that you love them dearly?
• Friends – Allow me to break out the age-old quote: "Birds of a feather flock together". Is the time that you spend with your friends full of joy and uplifting experiences, or is your time with them full of complaining, whining, and the rehashing of the negative aspects surrounding your job, your relationships, or your family?
• Mentors – What about the people that you look up to? I am not just talking about "official" mentors here, either. Are you influenced on a daily basis by what is happening with your favorite talk show host, or a popular local radio DJ whose sole purpose it is to bring in ratings, rather than actually improve the quality of your life?

Now, before you go getting all upset because I just called your entire social infrastructure to the carpet and asked the question of whether or not they are doing your life any good, first consider that question:

Are they doing your life any good?

If they are, and the top 5 to 7 people who influence you are taking your life in a positive direction, then don't change a thing. Your success is assured as long as you keep basking in their warm and uplifting glow.

However, take a moment to be honest with yourself. Give some real consideration to whether or not the glow that you are basking in with those people is truly going to take your life in the direction that you want it to go.

If it is not, does that mean that you need to fire your friends, disown your family members, turn off the TV, and quit your job? Of course not.

However, as the conscious creator of your life, by simply recognizing the way in which people are influencing your life, you are immediately empowered. You can start to control whether or not you are going to allow the influence of those people to be positive, or to be negative.

The choice, as always, is yours!