The Power of Friends

Affirmation: I am kind to myself. I allow myself to slow down & enjoy life. 

Guidepost 2: Cultivate Self-compassion. Let go of perfectionism. 

Be kind to yourself. Be wise as you make choices about how hard you push yourself. Repeat after me: “I am imperfect, and I am enough.”😍

Mastering the Seven Decisions, Andy Andrews (Pg. 31-34)

The Power of Friends 

As humans, we’re always changing. The past doesn’t change, but you can change your future by changing your actions today. Change is inevitable, so we might as well guide the direction in which we change.
So how can you guide the direction of your change? Besides reading, you must choose your companions wisely.
We all know how important the right peer group is for kids. Most parents are desperately concerned about the friends with whom their own children hang out – – we understand that our kids are likely to turn out just like those friends. If our children’s companions are doing drugs, having sex, or using profane language, our kids are obviously at a greater risk for exhibiting similar behaviors.
We’re concerned about our children’s choices of companions, and yet we ignore this principle as adults. At what age does this principle cease to work in someone’s life? Do we become immune to the influence of others at age 18? 21? Or maybe it’s no longer a factor at age 35 or 40? You know the answer: it’s always a factor. If you are surrounded by people who use bad language, your language will tend toward that. If you hang around people with certain viewpoints, you’ll be persuaded by those views. If you spend time with people who are lazy, you tend toward laziness. If you’re comfortable with people who make excuses, you will tend to make excuses as well.
Guard your associations carefully. Anytime you tolerate mediocrity in your choice of companions, you become more comfortable with the mediocrity in your own life. If a lazy man isn’t an irritation to you, it’s a sign that you have accepted slothfulness as a way of life. 

“What is a true friend to you?” I often ask people. More than 80% of the time, I hear, “A true friend is someone who accepts me as I am.”
My friend, this is dangerous garbage to believe, “a true friend is someone who excepts you as you are?” The kid who works the drive-through at your local fast food restaurant accepts you as you are —because he doesn’t care anything about you. A true friend holds you to a higher standard – he or she expects you to do what you said you were going to do, when you said you were going to do it. A true friend makes you better by his or her presence.

A friend of mine had a history of bad decisions. I would ask him, “now just out of curiosity, who did you talk to about this before you made that decision?”
He would look at me like I was out of my mind and say “well nobody.”
And I’d reply, “so you didn’t ask anybody? You just… Kind of… Decided?”
He gave me a familiar look and basically said, “I’m an adult, and I know what’s best for me. I can make my own decisions.”
When we take counsel from ourselves all we can receive is what we have… What we know… Who we are.
Taking the council of wise men and women helps us to avoid bad decisions and puts us on the pathway to a more successful life. When we add someone’s wisdom to our own, we greatly increase the probability of our success.
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Harness in Your Inner Circle

The Guided Decision teaches us that we are who we spend time with. 
1. In your journal list everyone you consider to be in your inner circle those were closest to you, who influence your life including family members friends and colleagues. 

2. The guided decision teaches us that our peers either stretch us or burden us. Next to each name, put an arrow to denote which direction the person is leading you. 

3. Do you see any patterns? Are there few people with whom you spend time who generally sour your life experiences? Or do you invest most of your time with those souls who challenge you, uplift you, and help you to become more?