“My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.” ~Henry Ford~
It has been said that a man can calculate his station in life and his prospects by the four people he hangs around most. Add up the income of those four, and your income (in a majority of cases) will be no more than the average of the four.
Who are you hanging around with? Are they encouragers or discouragers? Are they moving forward and challenging life or retreating to a comfort zone and trying to hold on for dear life?
Sometimes the very people whom we love or who claim they love us are the worst saboteurs of your quest for success. If they are afraid of losing, then they can’t win. And if they can’t win, they don’t want you to win either.
The quote above by Henry Ford is absolutely accurate. The people who really love you and want happiness for you will never intentionally discourage you from having big dreams and acting upon them.
That being said, the person your married to or in a relationship with may be a true deficit to your success. If that person you married or even that parent whom you adore is feeding you doubt and negativity, then some tough decisions must be made by you.
Do you stay with such a person and deny yourself the chance for greatness and self-confidence or do you walk away? It’s a terrible dilemma which all achievers must address before they can advance. Not dealing with your choices of friends and soul mates cannot but lead to underachievement, failure, and bitter resentment.
Take inventory of yourself before you get bogged down by people and environments which hold you back from greatness. Real friends love you by listening to your dreams and encouraging you every step of the way to make those dreams a reality.
In the pinch, real friends are there for you and you for them. Everyone has fair-weather friends – people who like you when all seems well – but true friends see your worth even when you don’t see it in yourself.
If you don’t have such a friend, it may be time to pack your bags and move on. Or if that seems too bold, certainly you need to cut back your time with people going nowhere fast.