People are social beings. But sometimes the environment does not allow us to develop, realize our dreams and live the way we think is right. How to find sources of negative influence and neutralize them?
The people around us have a great influence on us. Often we do not even feel it, because it is stretched out in time. The pressure from friends is especially powerful and yet subtle. Do you live among wasteful people? There is a good chance that you will spend everything you earn. Are you surrounded by people who don’t read? Chances are you won’t read it either.
Surrounding us barely noticeably push us in a certain direction, until we suddenly realize that in some incomprehensible way we ended up where we did not plan. To avoid such unpleasant surprises, it is useful to ask ourselves three important questions that will help us analyze how others around us influence us.
1. Who do I communicate with? Remember with whom and how often you communicate. Try to evaluate how much each person from the environment is able to influence you.
2. How exactly do acquaintances influence me? This is an important question that consists of many other questions:
- What are they making me do?
- What do they make me listen to?
- What do they make me read?
- Where do they make me go?
- What do they make me think?
- How do they make me talk?
- How do they make me feel?
- What do they make me say?
It is important to carefully analyze how they affect you, considering both positive and negative influences.
3. Is this normal? Perhaps everyone with whom we communicate has a positive influence on you and energizes you. But sometimes rotten apples come across on a branch. Therefore, I propose to objectively assess your surroundings. Are all the people you know leading you in the direction you want? The easiest way is to ignore these influences. Ignorance is the worst policy, knowledge is the best.
The easiest way is to allow outside influences to shape our lives, and let our acquaintances determine the direction of our life, give in to pressure and go with the flow. But the question arises: can we become what we really want to become?
Here are three ways to deal with those who are holding you back:
1. Stop communicating. This is not an easy decision, but in some cases there is no other way out. Sometimes it is necessary to make these difficult choices in order to eliminate the negative impact once and for all, so that you preserve the quality of life.
2. Limit communication. Spend more time with positive influencers and less time with negative ones. It’s easier to do the opposite, but don’t fall into that trap. Determine your values and priorities. We do not have much time at our disposal, and we must try to invest this time wisely.
3. Expand your social circle. This is the point to focus on first. Meet successful people, invite them to dinner, and ask them about how they achieved high results and what determined their success.
It’s not just about financial success. You can learn how to be happy in marriage, be a good parent, improve your health, and develop your spiritual life. By communicating with successful people, you will begin to attract success and positively influence those you know. They will also become more successful, which means that the level of your social circle will increase.