Everyone has a truckload of friends that they probably roll with. You know the ones that are always around you, the ones you tend to hang out with more and somehow, they stick to you. You call them your friends, people you think are capable of helping you out should you encounter a problem but the question is are they pushing you up or dragging you down? Are they helping you grow or holding you back? See these are the things that should define an ideal friendship but most times we are blinded by how much time we spend with them without noticing the time we actually spend is time wasted.
See you are special and this isn’t meant to sound corny or cliché but you have something inside of you that you should pursue with all amount of enthusiasm. You have the potential to be great, even greater than your peers but your biggest problem yet maybe the people you hang out with. There’s an old proverb that says “show me your friends and I will tell you who you are” and even though you could claim exceptions to this rule, the fact remains that the company you keep makes or mars you.
Friends
The word friend comes from a European word “Freund” which means to love. So, when you surround yourself with people you call friends, ask yourself do these people love me or are I just a means to an end. See friendship comes with love and love entails some level of sacrifice and if the people you call friends cannot weather the bad times with you, they are not worthy to be called yours. Friends are meant to be people you could go to war with.
They aren’t people who can make your problems disappear but rather they are people who won’t disappear when you have problems. Oprah once said “everybody wants to ride with you in the limo but what happens when that limo breaks down and it’s cold, who’s going to be there with you on the side of the road? See fake friends are like shadows, they are with you when everything is bright but disappear when it’s dark.
Foes
The quality of your life is dependent on the people you hang out with and the books you read. So, do not be a clog in the wheel of your progress. Do not shoot yourself in the leg. Do not stunt your growth by hanging out with the wrong set of people. Iron sharpens Iron. Your friends will have to be iron to be able to sharpen you, they can’t do that if they’re wood. The problem with hanging out with those kinds of people is that inadvertently, they influence you negatively. It’s better to be a lone wolf than move with fake friends.
The easiest way to catch a cold is by hanging out with someone who has a cold. Same goes with a negative mindset. When you hang out with people who have a negative mindset towards life, it is bound to rub off on you. So, your friends determine how far you go in life and you should be intentional when choosing people in your close circle. So, ask yourself what’s your purpose ? You have so much potential that needs to be let out. You have a calling just like everyone else and it won’t be there forever, you need to maximize whatever time you have left to start working on that gift or calling. This is why you shouldn’t spend one more moment in the company of people who have agendas contrary or parallel to yours.
So the bottom line is the fact that you need to stop hanging out with people who don’t see the future the way you do, people who always aim at pulling you down so they can appear to be better off than you, people who always try to water down your dreams because they have none and people who see nothing worthy of success in you.
They are dedicated to ruining their lives and taking you down with them. Lead a positive lifestyle and be more involved in the process of making friends, chose your friends and do not let them choose you. Be a source of inspiration to the people in your circle. When they see you and your friends, you shouldn’t be the only one to have made it, the question should be who is more successful?
People come into your life for a reason, a season and a lifetime. Be with people who will last a lifetime and not just a season.
