We Are the Five People We Associate with Most

You have permission to publish this article electronicallyor in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines areincluded. A courtesy copy of your publication would beappreciated - send to: GregReid@AlwaysGood.comWe Are the Five People We Associate with MostLast month I was invited to participate in a charity golftournament in Las Vegas to celebrate the life of the late dancinglegend Gregory Hines. The event was held to raise funds andawareness of the tragic disease that took this entertainer’slife.Although we were focusing on this serious matter, it was a truepleasure to meet all the celebrities and people whom I would notnormally have the opportunity to meet while living here in SanDiego. However, what really left an impression with me the mostwas a conversation I had with Gregory Hines’s father, Maurice.I went up to him and simply asked this question: "What was itabout Gregory’s upbringing that made him such a leader in hisart?""Well, it’s like this," began his proud dad in an authoritativemanner. "All we did was watch what he loved to do and thenencourage him to continue doing it. You should’ve seen his eyeslight up when he was only a child dancing for the family. When weput a ball in his hand, he didn’t share the same passion so wesimply took it away.""That’s it?" I asked in a surprised tone."Yes, it’s as simple as that," he replied. "You see so manypeople try to push their kids into doing something that theythemselves want, rather than supporting their children in doingwhat they want."Which brings me to this topic.Where could you be right now—or even better, where could you betomorrow — if you surrounded yourself with a network of positivesupport to assist you on your journey?There’s an old saying that goes, "We are the five people that weassociate with the most, and our income is an average of thosefive people."If you don’t like the path you’re on, I suggest that you take alook around you to see who you’re associating with. After all,water truly does seek its own level."How do we change this?" you ask.Here’s what I did, and I invite you to do the same.A few years back, I looked around and noticed that all I did washang around with other salespeople such as myself. Realizing thatI wanted more from my life than to simply sit around talkingabout the great deal or the money I’d made that day, I sought outa new group of people to associate myself with—people who couldhelp me on my new journey to become an author and motivationalspeaker. I ran ads on the Internet and in the newspaper seekingnew people to associate with and "soak up the success" with, soto speak.When I couldn’t find such a club, I decided to create one of myown. I called it the Influential Men’s Group. We met once a monthand discussed our ideas and plans to make them become realities.Most important, we supported and held one other accountable tosee those dreams come true.As I write this now, I think to myself how grateful I am for allthe wonderful people who’ve come into my life this past year. Dueto this great group of people, I’ve gone from a businessowner/salesman, to a number one best-selling author. I’ve beenpublished with my heroes and industry greats such as Zig Ziglar,Brian Tracy, Mark Victor Hansen, Tom Hopkins, Bob Proctor, PeterLowe, Cynthia Kersey, Steven E., John Assaraf, Dr. Wayne Dyer,and the internationally acclaimed artist Wyland, just to name afew.I share this with you not to impress you, but to impress upon youto be careful of what you ask for. You may just get it.In closing, I ask you once more: Where could you be tomorrow, bysurrounding yourself with supportive, like-minded people whotruly want you to succeed?We are the company we keep. Choose your company wisely.Best wishes, and keep smilin’!************************************