Your circle of influence are the people you spend most of your time with. They share your habits and beliefs. They can either lift you up to great heights, and help you Escape9toFive life, or they can drag you back into that world.
“According to research by social psychologist Dr. David McClelland of Harvard, your reference group determines as much as 95 percent of your success or failure in life”. Darren Hardy The Compound Effect
Not everything about your circle of influence is immediately apparent. But as you spend more and more time with them, their habits and ideas rub off on you. So ask yourself a quick question. Do the people in your life strive to escape the 9 to 5 like you do? Do they have an escape plan or have they accepted their fate in 9 to 5 life?
Are they encouraging of your side hustle, or would they more likely encourage you to the pub instead? Do you share your dreams and aspirations with them? Or do you feel they might be negative?
Your circle of influence matters because whether you’re conscious of it or not, the people around you consistently will influence you the most. So make sure they are influencing you in the right way. If you’re aspiring to a different kind of life than they are, they’ll likely sabotage you covertly, without even being aware of it themselves.
Why Your Circle Of Influence Matters – Dragging You Down
I was chatting with a stuntman, who I worked with on a few productions, and he told me I shouldn’t spend time with a certain person who was a friend of mine. He said, “you can’t spend time with him because he’ll only drag you down to his level”. I remember thinking this rather harsh at the time, and I would spend time with whoever I wanted thanks very much! But there is a lot of truth to what he said and of course he’s very successful in the stunt business.
So, if you’re thinking you wouldn’t trade your friends for a few pieces of silver, I can relate! But it’s worth considering who the people are that you surround yourself with and whether they are helping or hindering you in the direction you seek in life.
If, for example, you’re aspiring to escape your full time job, and replace your income with an online business, you’re still surrounded by the 9 to 5 mentality in your job. To escape the pull of this “magnet” of human intention is tough because the collective mindset of those in an employment is that which you’re trying to escape.
They don’t want you to escape either. If you did so, they would need to work as hard as you to do it! Most are not prepared to do it. Far easier to drag you off to the pub instead, and tell you to give up on your dreams!
Why Your Circle Of Influence Matters – Finding Like Minded People
Ideally you should surround yourself with the people who have already achieved what you want. But this can be a challenge. I was lucky enough to find an online entrepreneurial group and coaches and mentors who helped me to build an online business. Get some more info here. So, whether you want to improve your fitness, build an online business, escape the 9 to 5 or whatever, it’s worth finding a tribe of people who are on the same mission. Other than your own inner saboteur to success, your circle of influence is a common thread that leads people away from their dreams and back into mediocrity.
Your friends and family might mean well, of course. But how many of them have built successful businesses? Or achieved a high level of success in any given field? When you surround yourself with people who have succeeded, they lift you up. Most people are not surrounded by these types of people. Quite the opposite in fact, they are surrounded by moaners and complainers who sit comfortably in mediocrity, or below it! Not that they won’t share their opinions on success, of course they will. Therein lies the problem!
We listen to our nearest and dearest about things they know nothing about. Would you ask a fat person about how to lose weight and get fit? Of course not! But we consistently listen to our friends and relatives talk about what’s best for us in terms of success – even though their frame of reference is far below par!
Exercise – 5 People
Here’s an exercise you can easily do to shine some light on who influences you the most. The people you spend time typically have similar ideas to you, or some shared interests. So spending time with them already pulls you in the direction of those ideas and habits. So, for example, with a drinking buddy, you’re re-enforcing the habit of drinking each time you go out drinking with them.
- Write down the 5 people who you spend the most time with and why.
- How do they feel about your aspirations to escape the 9 to 5, or whatever your goal/dream is?
- Do they share the same ambitions in life?
- How many of your 5 most influential people actually inspire you, help you and motivate you towards your dreams/goals?
Summary
The 5 people who are closest to you are a massive influence on your life. Notice how they react if you share your dreams, goals and passions with them. Do they support you and share your enthusiasm? Or are they subtly jealous or envious of your enthusiasm and passion?
Often, if you’re working a job you want to escape, you’re surrounded by those who have resigned themselves to be in that job forever. Be careful about sharing your dreams and goals with them! They are more likely than not going to try and sabotage you in some way!
If they can’t escape the 9 to 5 – neither will you be able to!! (*Laughter of an evil James Bond baddie!!)
