You Become Who You Hang Out With

There is an old adage which states, “It’s difficult to soar with the eagles, when you’re scratching with the turkeys!” While this is absolutely true, it gets worse - scratching with the turkeys can actually keep you from enjoying the success which is available to everyone!

Of course, in the context of this article, the term “eagle” refers to the high achievers that we all know, while “turkey” refers to the habitually negative, mean-spirited people who seem to be everywhere.

Earl Nightingale, sometimes known as the father of modern day personal development (and a definite eagle!), discovered what he called the Strangest Secret – “We become what we think about most if the time.”

Also known as the Universal Law of Attraction, what this “secret” means is that we attract into our lives, that upon which we place our dominant thoughts. If we continually think about and focus on problems, then that is what we attract. If, on the other hand, we focus on prosperity and abundance, then that is what we attract.

So what does this have to do with eagles, turkeys and our relationships? Well, just about everything!

First, if we attract situations aligned with our thoughts, then it stands to reason that we also attract people who are consistent with our thought patterns. Second, it also stands to reason that if we maintain unhealthy, non-supportive or toxic relationships then this is a reflection of our own thoughts.

Ultimately, these relationships will have a profound impact on us. From poor self-esteem to destructive thought patterns and activities, we will sabotage our ability to succeed. We will begin to take on the tendencies of these people – if they are habitually negative, then we will become the same. If they are condescending, then we will also become condescending.

Thoughts determine feelings; feelings determine actions; actions determine results. If we begin to adopt the thought patterns, habits and tendencies of those around us, inevitably they will deliver results aligned with these characteristics. If the thoughts, habits and tendencies are negative, well, you can see where that will take you.

Like pets and their owners growing to resemble each other, the bottom line is that we definitely become who we hang out with! So, who wants to be a turkey? The answer is an emphatic NOBODY!

What You Can Do

There are 3 things you can begin doing immediately to help in this area:

1. Take a look at your current relationships and determine whether they are supportive and enriching or toxic and destructive. A clue here is to examine how you feel about yourself when around various people.

2. If you identified any relationships which are not mutually supportive and do not empower you, or that drain your energy and make you feel badly about yourself, take steps to distance yourself from the people involved – FAST!

3. Make a plan to change your thought patterns. Become abundance and prosperity focused and concentrate on developing only relationships which are enriching, supportive and empowering!

The bottom line is this - if there are people in your life that drain your energy, make you feel badly about yourself or hold you back, then you must take appropriate action, and quickly!

Just remember – “It’s difficult to soar with the eagles, when you are scratching with the turkeys!”