“Who you know is more important than what you know”. It’s a law. The Law of Association.
We tend to be like the people with whom we associate most. If your personal and professional contacts consist primarily of smart, successful, and well-connected people, you are probably smart, successful, and well-connected.
We tend to share many of the same habits, attitudes, and opinions of the people in our inner circle. We read the same types of books, talk about the same subjects, and know many of the same types of people.
Your life would be different if your contacts consisted primarily of lazy people with bad habits and a poor work ethic.
Your task is clear. To continually upgrade your associations.
On a scale of 1 to 100, we are all 50s. There are people we look up to–the 80s, 90s, and 100s, and there are people who look up to us. To upgrade your associations, you’ll want to seek out and associate with the 80s and above.
It’s not easy to meet the top people in any field, let alone convince them to invite you into their world.
But you can do it.
Start by eliminating the bad influences in your life. They’re holding you back.
If you now associate with 20s and 30s, people with bad habits, bad attitudes, and poor motivation, stop spending time with them. If it’s difficult to remove them completely from your life, perhaps because they are family or co-workers, spend less time with them.
Then, start filling the void with people who are a little higher up the scale from you.
You’re a 50, right? So find and meet some 60s. People who have more experience, better skills, or more success than you.
Get to know them. Bring value to them. Eventually, you’ll become like them.
Then, as a 60, seek out some 70s.
Work your way up the scale, in increments. Eventually, you’ll be associating with 90s and 100s.
Maybe then I’ll take your call.
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