Be Sure to Surround Yourself with People Who Reflect Your Values

© Halayalex | Megapixl.com

When we are making friends and deciding who to allow into our lives, we often gravitate towards people with gregarious personalities, without thinking too much about how relationships are going to effect our lives. Making friends with like-minded people is key towards living the best life possible, so it is important to surround yourself with people who reflect values that you admire.

The people you surround yourself are a reflection of you. - Aaron Rodgers

It's important to carefully consider who you allow into your inner circle. It's not just that some people aren't trustworthy and will blab all your secrets, it's about more than that. The people that you choose to associate with says something to the rest of the world about who you are.

Our Leaders Represent Us

This morning, I was having a conversation with someone who was telling me that it is a broad generalization to say that all Trump voters are racist. I had to reply by telling them that when you choose someone to represent you who is racist, it is the same as saying that is what you feel yourself.

The people that we choose as leaders should represent the best that we have to offer as a society. They should represent the ideals that we strive to embody within ourselves. If we choose leaders who are unscrupulous, that is a reflection on our own values, and our own moral standards.

According to Better Up, here are 13 values a good leader should demonstrate:

1. Empowerment and development

2. Vision

3. Communication

4. Reinforcement and influence

5. Empathy

6. Humility

7. Passion and commitment

8. Respect

9. Patience

10. Resilience

11. Honesty and transparency

12. Accountability

13. Integrity

When we choose leaders who exemplify these values, they are likely to become well-respected, and lead us in the right direction. Leadership is all about decision making, so when a leader makes poor decisions in their values and their personal lives, that is a reflection on their capabilities to lead.

We should be choosing leaders who are our best and our brightest, and help to make our society the best that it can be. When we fail to do that, we can no longer claim a moral high ground.

Choosing Our Friends Wisely

Similarly, who you allow into your inner circle matters a great deal. Just because someone has been your friend for a long time, that doesn't always make them a good friend. Sometimes, we outgrow relationships and need to reevaluate who is in our circle.

Being around people who motivate and inspire you to be your best and support you through difficult times are true friends. It is important to be around people who have only the best of intentions for you, and are supportive, kind and helpful. By surrounding yourself with people whose qualities you admire, it can help you develop those qualities yourself.

According to Power of Misfits, here are 6 reasons why you are who you surround yourself with:

1. How others treat you affects your self-esteem

2. What you discuss with those around you matters for your growth

3. Other people’s emotional states affect your mood

4. Some people fill you with energy, others drain you

5. You unintentionally pick up others’ habits, behaviors, and traits

6. Others’ opinions and values have an impact on what you believe

When you spend your time surrounded by caring, genuine people who care about the same things that you do, then you are likely to have meaningful and lasting friendships. If your friends spend all their time gossiping, it isn't likely to motivate you. Spend time talking to people who talk about ideas with conviction. This can help to improve yourself and your life.

Spending time with positive, uplifting people can help improve your moods. Enthusiasm for life can be infectious. People who have a positive outlook on life can help you to do the same.

The values of the people you spend time with matter a great deal. If you spend time with people who value equality, kindness, and making the world a better place, you are likely to feel the same. However, prejudice, bias and a negative worldview can rub off as well.

According to Heart Hackers Club,

If you want to have greatness in your life, surround yourself with great people. If you strive to be a happy, fulfilled, honest, confident, empowered and principled person, surround yourself with people who are the same.

When you continually surround yourself with people who have qualities that you aspire to, it will help you to become those things. Similarly, if you surround yourself with people who have low moral standards, you are likely to stoop to their level.

If you want to have a great circle of friends in your life, you can go to events where you are likely to meet uplifting people. This way, you can grow and expand your circle in a way that is encouraging for all involved.

In this age of the internet, it is easier than ever to connect with people from across the world. That means, you can find groups of other empowered people to connect with on the web as well as in real life. There are great groups on Facebook for entrepreneurs, spiritually minded people, personal growth and more! You just have to type in your search bar and look for them.

Some good places to meet people in your community can be through volunteering, going to community gatherings, supporting a local cause, at your yoga studio, or at a book club or other networking event. When you meet people by connecting through shared interests, then you can make new friends who are like-minded individuals.

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” — Jim Rohn

Make sure you are choosing "your people" wisely! The people you surround yourself with are some of the biggest influences you will have in your life.