Network Expansion Starts With Relationships

If your future were determined solely off the network of friends you have now, would you trade them in? If every job or college interview depended not off of your performance, but your friends, how would it turn out for you? Now that I have your attention, are you at least thinking about it? As a headstrong teen-ager who got into a L-O-T (!) of trouble with my friends, my Grandmother used to always tell me: “Show me your friends and I will show you your future.”  It made no sense to me at the time, however, the notion of being guilty by association has surrounded us for years. And although not a 100% accurate, the assumption is usually true. As an adult, I came to consider Granny's saying as golden wisdom. It has helped me establish a standard to measure if my own friendships were propelling me forward or keeping me at a stand still. Fortunately for me, I’m surrounded by a circle of individuals that challenge me to push myself everyday. Sadly, this is not everyone’s situation. While some have a great support system, many don’t. People that do not want to see others succeed or accomplish their dreams surround many. 

Most of us spend too much time holding on to bad or damaged relationships due to the fact that they are in our circle of influence. Superficial relationships cause more harm to you than being honest with yourself and ridding yourself of negative relationships. Of course, we all NEED to experience some negatives in order to learn that we have a choice. 

If I’m doing my job correctly you may be asking yourself the following two questions: What do I do? Do I find a new network of friends? My suggestion is that if you find yourself being loyal to people who are not loyal to you, you must move. If every time you share your dream and they kill it, you must move. If you are the smartest person in your circle, you must move. You must move in order to expand your network. 

This is not a piece to motivate you to end all friendships, however, I hope that it prompts you to ask yourself what your future will look like based on those you call friend. One thing I know for sure: You can’t change your friends, but you can change your network.

 ~Manifest your Business Solutions and build a better business. The original post is on Manifest Business Solutions © copyright, 2012. Share it freely, but you must link back to this source. Regards, Admin