In a previous post I shared about your circle of influence. For a reminder though, it is proven that you will become like the five people you hang around the most. As I have gotten older I have become more and more aware of those I allow in my circle or in my space. I listened to a training a few years ago by Darren Hardy regarding 3 minute friends, 3 hour friends, and 3 day friends. Unfortunately, there are some people near to us that have a negative affect on us. They don’t necessarily encourage us, lift us up, or have any positive influence on us. These people could possibly be relatives, coworkers, or even your boss. Sometimes we cannot always limit the time we spend with them. However, I want you to ask are there any people in your circle now that after spending time with them you feel drained. Almost like they were an energy vampire. If so can you evaluate how much time is healthy to spend with them. Is it only 3 minutes before they start to have a negative impact? Maybe they are 3 hour friends? You could go out to lunch or dinner with them, but then that’s enough time. Or are they the friends who really help you become a better person and you could spend a long weekend with them? Maybe it seems hard and/or mean to eliminate someone from your circle. However, you don’t have to be ugly about it, and you can still love that person from a distance or just limit the time spent together. If you don’t value your time and who you spend it with, who will? So I challenge you to really take a look at those earning your time. Do you need to classify someone as a 3 minute or 3 hour friend to give more time to a 3 day friend? You never know eventually that 3 minute or 3 hour friend might change and become a 3 day friend again. I definitely have had that happen. What’s important though is to keep those friends close to you who feel sunlight.
