“Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them.”
W. Clement Stone
I recently read that not only are we shaped by our five closest friends but in reality we are also shaped but their five closest friends. Think about that for a minute. You are not only a product of the people you spend time with but those they spend time with as well.
I love the wisdom outlined in this quote but when I first read it I did so through the lens of it being cautionary and therefore negative. I prefer to think of this through a positive lens of being intentionally purposeful about who you spend time with and therefore who you let be an influence on your life. It also makes me pause and think about the responsibility we have to those who are closest to us in our friend network. Heavy stuff.
Who are you intentionally inviting into your life and in essence asking them to be part of the environment that forms who you are as a person? Is it accidental or intentional?
“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20
One Response
I just had lunch with one of my five yesterday. We talked about this very thing. I have a diagram I’ll share with you the next time I’m onsite and you’re available.
Now in my 40s I’m revving up my intentionality in this area; in part because in my 20s I was haphazard and careless with relationships–I was a leaf blowing in the wind.
It is mission critical that I set the right example for my children. Thanks for sharing this Dusty! It encourages me.