Categories :

It’s who you know and also what they know

Surrounding yourself with the right people makes you better.

I’ve had a fair few positive role models since I left high school. And not just positive role models, but pretty inspirational people. My brother, people I met traveling, people I stayed with or lived with and a few randoms outside of those confines.

Jim Rohn said you’re the average of the 5 people you spend most of your time with. But my friend Matt doesn’t agree with that, and says that stuff like that, it’s what you make it – it’s not a set rule. I kind of agree, without having thought too much of who those 5 people in my life are.

So, those 5 people, say in the last month, would be: My wife, my friend Matt, my ‘American mom’ Monica, a new friend Gilad and another friend David.

  1. My wife is the strongest, smartest, most focused and passionate girl I’ve ever met.

2. Matt has an incredibly high level of awareness – of his surroundings, of what the people around him are feeling, as well as of what’s important in life.

3. My wife says spending half an hour with Monica is like getting 5 years’ worth of life lessons. Anything she sets out to do, it gets done before you even notice it. I thought procrastinating is something everyone does, but, now that I think of it, I’ve never seen her do it all. She just said this the other day, ‘I am the Nike Slogan’. I totally agree. She just does it.

4. Gilad is an inspired dude I met recently, who has a brilliant mind, but can also joke around just like any other bloke you’d meet. He’s both book smart and street smart, while being down-to-earth and relatable at the same time.

5. David is my oldest friend, and he isn’t afraid to show his personality straight away to people he meets, and it’s what makes people like him immediately.

But, the 5-person rule is what you make of it.

I didn’t see my brother growing up much, so I got used to being on my own and doing stuff solo. But ironically, near the end of high school, it was him who made me love doing stuff on my own. Whether it was camping, roadtrips, surfing, he showed me how to be completely comfortable on my own (and to love it), in any situation. But now, I’m starting to see that keeping company can not only do a lot for you, but it’s necessary for you to keep getting better.

Sometimes Arnold Schwarznegger gets called a self-made man, but he says that’s crap. He says he couldn’t have done the stuff he has without the help, advice, guidance, pep talks, warnings and insight from a huge number of people.

It’s the best qualities of the people we meet that show us in what ways we’d like to improve, but becoming content with yourself is something you have to work on alone. As confusing and hit-and-miss as it can be, no one else can get you there.