There are people who thrive on drama; who, when things are too calm or people are accepting and content, become uncomfortable and stir things up because that is what gives them energy.

There are people who like to be righteous: “they are out to get us”; “I knew this would happen”; “this is so unfair”.

There are people who are friends and at your side when things are not going well for you, but vaporize when you are back on your feet. When you are unhappy or having a difficult time, they feed off of your struggle because they are unhappy with their own lives but unwilling to change anything.

Then there are people with a different view of the world. These people have discovered that what we think has tremendous influence over what happens in our lives. These are the people who realize that visualization has tremendous power to create our experiences. I am one of those people.

I was not always. I learned to wean myself from those who regularly wanted to share bad news, individuals who were most engaged when righteously angry at others and generating drama. I decided it was time to minimize my interactions with anyone who did not leave me feeling optimistic and confident.

I’ve learned that we become largely like the 5-7 people we spend the most time with. It is no coincidence that people typically earn within 10% of what their closest friends earn.

Every week, I seek out people who are optimistic about the world, those who have fallen and continue to stand up again. I surround myself with people who help others and relish in seeing others achieve success. I consistently engage with friends and colleagues who have reached higher summits than I (both literally and figuratively). I find people who will challenge me whenever I portray limited thinking. These individuals see possibilities as limitless and believe the “pie” is limitless, making it big enough for everyone. I strive to see the world through a kaleidoscope of abundance rather than one of scarcity.

What about you? Who do you spend most of your time with? How do you feel when associating with them? Do you believe you are in the driver’s seat, largely able to direct the course of your life? Or do you despair for all that has gone wrong in your life?

You are armed with enormous powers. You can greatly influence the course of your life. Don’t let other people take this away from you.

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