One Apple A Day #682 - social cleanse
Since the end of last week, the rising sun has been perfectly aligned with the windows under which I write. Every morning, for an hour or so, its rays paint everything in gold. It's magical, and it reminds me how much I love this moment of the day.
You should give it a try.
Anyway, while I was meditating feeling the warm of this golden light on my skin, I became aware of another great opportunity of social distancing.
"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." — Jim Roh
It is well known that the people we spend the most time with shape who we are. They influence the conversations that we have, where we put our attention, our behaviours.
"According to research by social psychologist Dr David McClelland of Harvard, [the people you habitually associate with] determine as much as 95 per cent of your success or failure in life." — Darren Hardy in The Compound Effect
Almost all self-development books and experts stress this point. They typically invite us to assess our relationships to understand who are and who are not supporting us in becoming who we want to be. Then, and this is the tough part, the invitation is to distance ourselves from the toxic ones. The ones who are holding us back from realising our potential.
But that's not easy at all. Our relationships are connected to our rituals, to our habits, the places where we go, the things we do.
But now, we are forced to stay away from everything and everyone. Casual encounters are no more an issue. We can choose who we talk with and when. What a unique opportunity for social cleansing. We can assess the relationships we have in our lives, and carefully decide where we want to invest our energy.