I recently learned that a friend / acquaintance has been working to lose weight over the past year. Apparently, he’s lost almost 130 pounds which is eerily about the same amount of weight I’ve lost in the same amount of time. I don’t see him all that frequently, maybe just once a year or so but I found that I was incredibly proud of his progress and determination. I can only assume, like me, he saw the writing on the wall and realized the importance of self care once you become a father.
Through the wonders of Facebook, I reached out to him to let him know that I was proud of him and that he looked great. I briefly mentioned that I was on a similar journey so I understood the hard work and commitment that goes into such an undertaking. “You got this” he replied, bringing a smile to my face.
There is a certain camaraderie that one experiences when interacting with people who are working through the same struggles. It’s like being a member in a secret society. We’ve got each other’s backs when it’s needed. We provide support, for one another, that can only come from someone who’s been there. I assume one could find this type of bond in other types of relationships such as those between people who share a medical condition, a traumatic past or similar interests.
It’s important to surround yourself with like-minded people. This is where we get meaningful insight into the challenges we face. It’s also important to surround ourselves with people who differ from us. This is where we find variety in our lives and it’s what allows us to learn and adapt how we thinks and act.
There’s a quote I hear quite often which states “we are the average of the 5 people we most frequently associate with.” If this is true, and I think it makes sense, we must associate with the best people we can surround ourselves with. So in addition to finding like-minded people as well as people who differ from us, those people now have to be the best we can find with regards to what they do. This will provide us with the best chance of also being the best at what we do.
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