40 Days to a Better Me: Day 07--Get Around the Right People

40 Days to a Better Me: Day 07—Get Around the Right People.
The old saying “birds of a feather flock together’ is true. There is nothing that will speak more about person than whom they associate with. Therefore, it is imperative that you build networks with people who will propel your life forward. The reason for this is because the people who you allow into your life on a personal level will either help to build your dreams or they will destroy them.
How many stories have you heard of someone who got mixed up with the wrong people? I know of individual who had a promising future. This young man had dreams and aspirations. He was one of those people who would have been voted most likely to succeed. But, he had some friends.
These friends did not share his desire for success. They did not labor and toil to achieve the academic marks that he did. They did not possess the commitment to personal excellence that he did. His life was going somewhere while their lives were going nowhere. Still he had known them from childhood. They shared similar upbringing and lived in the same neighborhood. He loved his friends and did want to appear that he was rejecting them. So, from time to time he would hang out with them.
One particular evening he was out riding around town with his friends. They stopped at a local convenience store, got out of the car and went in. While this young man went off to get a cold drink, one of his “friends” got into an argument with the store clerk.
The argument escalated to the point that the friends drew a pistol from under his jacket and pointed it at the clerk. The young man and his other friends were now standing around the counter with their pistol waving friend. The friend then demanded the money from the register, to which the clerk complied. The friend stuffs the cash in his pocket as his companions attempt to get him out of the store. The young man and another of his friends leave and rush to the car, leaving their pistol packing buddy and another companion in the store.
Before they could get in the car they heard the first of several shots. Looking back at the store, these young men witnessed his friend shoot and kill the store clerk. He swallowed hard and could not believe what he saw played out right before him. He stood there stunned in disbelief. He and his friends jump into the car and sped off.
Shortly thereafter, this promising young man found himself being handcuffed and arrested. He found himself being tried as an accomplice. And, then he hears the guilty verdict. How did this happen? Why did this happen? It seemed to him that it was all some sort of a bad dream. But it wasn’t.
This was a costly lesson for this young man. The life he had dreamed of was destroyed. His college hopes were gone. That promising career was gone. He allowed his dreams to be ripped from his heart just so he could keep it real with his friends. Was it worth it?
There is an old proverb that says iron sharpens iron. This emphasizes that building strong positive relationships with good people serves to make us better. People will either be dreamer builders or dream stealers. Which would you rather associate with?
To realize your dream of a better life—you gotta get around the right people. Some may feel that severing long relationships with people we have known for years is cold. No one is suggesting that you sever relationships. What I am suggesting is that you limit the influence of such people on you. Invest your time and energy into making you better. Time is the currency of life. Don’t let a fool spend it for you.
Invest in building friendships that celebrate you. Spend your time building networks that will serve to make your dreams a reality. You are the best thing you have going for you. Build better relationships and you will become a better you.