I think a great deal of credit for the progress I’ve made in the past few years is due to the people I’m most often around. As I’ve mentioned before, one of my high school principals said this at my graduation: “Your friends are like elevators. They will either take you up or they will bring you down.” It’s easy to speak, act, and even think similarly to those I see on a regular basis, and I’ve been blessed in that I often get to hang out with some incredible people.
Several friends I see regularly are either entrepreneurs or are working towards running their own businesses. As a result, I’ve learned a number of things about business and finances just by listening to them and asking them questions. Spending time around them has made me more motivated to become an entrepreneur and has given me some useful information about how to get there.
There are also a few people I know whose ideas about life and life plans are quite similar to mine. Talking to them about this stuff without having to explain where I’m coming from or having them think I’m crazy is refreshing. It also helps me remember what I’ve been learning and allows me to figure more things out while we talk, which makes it easier to reproduce my findings in these blog posts. Many of my posts have come from conversations with close friends or from books they’ve recommended, so I have them to thank for a good bit of the content on this website.
I’m no stranger to the idea that being around people with similar goals helps you achieve yours. In addition to my high school principal talking about this, Jordan Peterson also discusses the importance of having quality friends in his book 12 Rules for Life. “Make friends with people who want the best for you” is the chapter in which he examines how much our friends impact us and determine where we go in life. Despite being familiar with this notion, however, I didn’t know how true it is until recently when I realized how much of a positive impact my friends have had on me, including but not limited to helping me with the following: staying out of trouble, growing as a person, developing good habits, getting through difficult times, and moving closer to where I want to be in life. I’m thankful for my friends and everything they’ve helped me with, and I look forward to enjoying their company for many more years to come.