We all have a story about a group of people who have influenced us positively or negatively. Growing up, my mother used to say, “you’re guilty by association.” Or as Jim Rhon would say, “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” As this was something I heard quite regularly, I would roll my eyes. We are now finding out now that there may be some scientific research to back up this idea.
Moran Cerf, a neuroscientist at Northwestern completed a study on decision making. His focus was on mechanisms underlying decision making and investigating how much free will we have in our decisions. When two people are in each other’s company, their brain waves will begin looking nearly identical. “The more we study engagement, we see time and time again that just being next to certain people actually aligns their brain to them.”
Andy Stanley does an amazing job outlining this on his leadership podcast. The people you hang out with actually have an impact on your engagement with reality beyond what we can explain – you become A L I K E. As humans we can’t help but be influenced by the ideals of our community to some degree. Want to the best athlete? Surround yourself with a high quality training community. Want to be successful? Surround yourself with people that have the success you are seeking.
I’ve often wondered how we are pulled toward some individuals more than others. It is the law of attraction. Individuals that have a higher frequency of vibration or those that seem to just be winning at life, attract a certain crowd. Somewhere along the line, they made an agreement with themselves that this is who they wanted to be and created that reality. While in Chiropractic school, I have been surrounded by the most driven, health conscious, inspired individuals. Y’all, LIVING ON PURPOSE IS CONTAGIOUS. Being a natural healer of any sorts has it’s obstacles, but as alternative health professionals we have the realization that our work is so much bigger than ourselves. It is about transforming health standards, liberating individuals and raising the world’s conscious awareness.
Your friends ultimately determine the direction and quality of your life. What is the purpose of community? What is the importance of belonging? We were created for this.
So I ask you, who are you surrounding yourself with? Are they uplifting? Do they speak L I F E into you? What are you exposing yourself to? Are the shows you’re watching serving you? Is the music you’re listening to adding value to your life? Your vibe attracts your tribe! Be relentless in surrounding yourself with those who bring out the best in you. The direction of your life depends on it.
-M