If you want positive change, you must surround yourself with the right people

“Surround yourself with people who make you happy. People who make you laugh, who help you when you’re in need. People who genuinely care. They are the ones worth keeping in your life. Everyone else is just passing through.” – Karl Marx

It is widely known that one of the best ways to improve any skill is to train with someone more experienced than you – a mentor if you will.

And to acquire the necessary skills, you’ll have to work harder, think faster and learn your fundamentals. In the process, you’ll sweat and have sore muscles, but in time, you’ll get better at it, and, eventually, your skills might reach a level where you’ll be good enough to teach someone else a thing or two.

The idea of training with someone more skilled than you translates nicely to your personal and career success also, and that’s why it’s crucial to surround yourself with winners.

So here are some practical steps you can take to apply this concept to your own life:

The criteria for choosing advisers, mentors, and peers

The first quality you might want to look for is to seek people whose values resonate with yours.

The second one would be for them to have greater skills, experience, cognitive ability, or talent in the area you’re working in. Not only should they be better than you in your chosen area, but also confident enough to not tear you down in order to make themselves look and feel better.

Remove the negative people from your life

We all have colleagues who have serious drama in their lives or are in constant turmoil, the ones who only complain but never do anything to elevate themselves.

We can’t always win – our lives are hard enough, and there will always be hurdles and naysayers along our way to success. And during those times, there’s nothing better than having somebody to share your fears and doubts with: mentors and friends who not only listen but also support and cheer you on to become the best version of yourself, giving you energy and helping you move forward.

Find and build relationships with the people who can share their own success and positive vibes while also helping you understand that you can do the same. Life is not long enough for all the negativity.

The “right” people are closer than you think

The people who can aid to succeed in life may already be around you.

Start your search in your existing networks and the people nearest to you: your community, friends, and family. Turn to the people you work with, your managers, other leaders, colleagues, and maybe even your customers.

You can turn to accomplished people and experts, the ones who’ve achieved the goals you’re aiming at.

Ask yourself how you can spend more time with the people who can help you succeed.

Make certain you involve yourself directly with people who inspire, motivate, and lift you up to do and be more. As you and your business life grow, this might mean changing colleagues and friends, and that’s just part of life. You are the sum of who you spend your time with.

Trust that positivity, hard work, and keeping your sights set high are things you cannot risk straying from if you want the life you dream of.

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