Birds of a feather flock together. Right? Well, that’s what they say. Some may agree, others may share my past opinion on the idea; full disagreement. Justifiable arguments backed by confident statements of “Psh, birds of a feather? I’m my own person. Who I hang around has nothing to do with who I am!” You couldn’t tell me otherwise, until an older version of myself began to unfold the saying and consider it;s real meaning. One of my favorite speakers said before “Surround yourself with OQP, ONLY QUALITY PEOPLE”. It was then that I learned real quick that birds of a feather DO flock together.
“You are an average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” So yes, birds of a feather do flock together. Think about the 5 people you devote most of your time to. Consider your closest friends and companions. I would hope that these individuals are motivated, driven, goal oriented and focused. The energy you hang around becomes the energy that encompasses you as well. Whether you know it or not, the vibe from those we spend our time with can very quickly become our own vibe as well. Motivated individuals keep you motivated. Unfortunately, it works the other way as well…
Get into the habit of steering clear of the nay-sayers, the negative thinkers, the “glass is half empty rather than half full” kind of folks, because before you know it, negative energies will become a part of you as well. Instead, surround yourself with those who remain in positive spirits with uplifting aura’s surrounding them. Move the opposite direction from those who are stagnant and comfortable. Some people are good with where they are, settling for the “right now” version of themselves. So being around these individuals serves you no purpose as you have plans to continuously move forward and do more for yourself. Spend time with those who are always properly planning, always discussing execution of new ideas, and continuously moving forward and growing as who they are and developing their character. There is no room for those who choose to do nothing for themselves, because you have too much to do. Reserve spots in your life only for those who keep you focused, who remind you of who you are, and share visions of success as you do. We have no space for individuals who want nothing out of life, when you want everything life has to offer. At this point, there is no vacancy.
Y’all like to talk a lot about keeping your circle tight, when most of the time there could be a few in your “circle” who are really squares. They don’t fit. They don’t belong. Until you remove yourself from the quantity of people , and replace it instead with the proper QUALITY people, it will remain that much harder to move forward as you are continuously being held back by those who mean you no good. Always choose quality over quantity.
A lot of you are giving attention to individuals who serve you no intentional purpose. Keep in mind that everything about who you are is intentional, from the way you think to every single talent gifted to you. In order to fulfill that talent, perfect your craft, and sharpen your skills to the ultimate degree, it is critical you are intentional of your closest associates. These are the individuals that will either lift you up, or bring you down. Success hangs around success. Some people can’t sit at the table with you, and some who are only only continuing to eat what you are putting on the table and never putting up anything themselves. It’s to the point where some people just can’t sit with you. We only have room for OQP, Only Quality People.
I agree! There is a very transparent relationship between successful people, their success, and their surrounding associates… its apparent that surrounding yourself with Only Quality People should be a rule of law… especially for people who chase success!