A person is an average of the five people they spend the most time with

Other people's thoughts and behavior affect you. The people you surround yourself with influence your potential. This is not just speculation.

A person's economic mobility is largely determined by the county in which they live. Children from low-income communities are less likely to have high income potential from their wealthy peers. It's hard to get away from your surroundings.

Groups of friends can subconsciously adopt each other's behavior and lifestyle. They use similar phrases when speaking and can even influence each other's choice of clothing.

The peer group effect has not gone unnoticed in the corporate world, as Jim Rohn quotes,

"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with."

Jim Rohn

The influence of others is "contagious" - when we surround ourselves with strong, high-achieving people with good character, we are more likely to become just like them. On the other hand, imagine the negative influence low achievers can have on you. If your five best friends have a bad outlook on life and are content with low performance, then there's a good chance some of that negativity will rub off on you.

The influence of others is easily overlooked

To improve your life, associate with people with higher standards than you. If you have high expectations for yourself and surround yourself with people who also have high expectations, you will have a better quality of life.

Everything you allow in your life and every action you take reflects who you are. Tony Robbins says "Let your grind be a reflection of the standards you set for yourself."

This does not necessarily mean that you must have the most fantastic things immediately, but it means that you do the best with whatever means you have. You don't have to be the best in the company to do excellent work. You don't have to be wealthy to keep things organized. Going above and beyond will take you to the next level of success.

If you feel stuck in your current situation, it might be time to make some changes. Change and growth can occur when you make conscious choices about your environment.

In addition to striving to improve your environment, keeping better company can help you achieve your goals.

For example, if your friends tend to waste a lot of time on their phones and social media, you may be caught up in this cycle of distraction. If you're healthy but your peers spend all day eating cookies and chips, you'll have a hard time sticking to a nutritious diet.

On the other hand, when you are surrounded by people who are focused when they are working, you are more likely to be focused. It's actually hard not to be focused because you want to be included and you don't want to be responsible for breaking someone's concentration.

Your social connections are your net worth

This is a quote from Tim Sanders, the former CEO of Yahoo!

When you surround yourself with people who hold themselves to a high standard, you are surrounded by people who strive to do better. Their energy is contagious and will affect you positively.

Motivation and dedication are contagious.

Imagine working in a team where 80% of team members are highly motivated and 20% of them slack off. The lazy are in the minority and surrounded by the best.

For these 20%s there are only two possibilities. They can't keep doing mediocre work because the 80% won't accept it. They will either be influenced to do a better job, or they will give up because they don't want to continue. After all, 100% of the remaining workers will be highly motivated.

You will do more than you thought you could do.

When you're surrounded by people with low standards, you may feel like you don't have to put in the extra work. You may perceive yourself as good enough because you don't compare your work to people who aim for continuous improvement.

This means that while you may be doing better than the average person in your peer group, you're not even close to your full potential. Highly motivated people are constantly striving for improvement, and when you spend time with them, you realize that you, too, need to improve.

When you control your environment, you control your life.

A fulfilling life doesn't just happen by luck. If this were true, then people who won the lottery would be guaranteed happiness. In fact, most people who hit the jackpot end up unhappy because even though they got windfalls, they couldn't control the people and circumstances around them.

The habits you engage in every day can have a greater positive impact on your life than receiving a large sum of money. When you surround yourself with people who help you grow, you will achieve greater gains.

Change your attitudes and beliefs towards money with the online course Money and the Science of Vibration by Milena Goleva

Every contact should push you to be the best version of yourself

It is important to maintain high standards in all aspects of your life. Look for colleagues, friends, and even a romantic partner who bring out the best in you.

By removing toxicity from your life and seeking out people who push you to excel, you set yourself up to achieve your dreams.

We also show you a wonderful video of Milena Goleva - People - mirrors! 4 types of reflection: