A Short Exercise: Who Do You Spend Time With?

It’s been said so many times that no one seems to know who exactly to attribute it to:

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

This is a powerful and revealing insight. Whether or not it’s true in a formulaic sense, there is truth in it for sure. Here’s a five minute exercise:

Step 1 – Make a list of the five traits you most want to gain/enhance/improve in yourself
Step 2 – Make a list of the five people you spend the most time with
Step 3 – Add what trait you think most defines/describes each person above

Now take a look at both lists – the traits you want, and the traits you hang out with. How similar are they?

The only person who can get you where you want to go is you, but you’re shaped in powerful ways by those you associate with. It’s a choice. Put yourself in a position to succeed.

Isaac Morehouse is president of Praxis. This post originally ran on the Praxis Blog.