Power of Association

Am surprised to see this post in a swimming blog but nonetheless it applies not only in swimming but to life in general as well. Below is written by Shelly Taylor Smith, a 7-time World Champion and 5-time winner of the mighty 48km Manhattan Island Marathon Swim.

I was about to delete the email with the post below as I was cleaning up my Inbox when I decided to sample one of the mails. Good thing I clicked on the 'right' mail or was it fate?


The most profound influence from the "outer world" is most certainly OTHER PEOPLE.

The people you allow into your life and who you spend the most time with, are the greatest external factors to the direction your life will take. Yes, external influences are that powerful.

It is known that you will be the combined average of the 5 people you spend the most time with; you will have the combined lifestyle, health practices, thinking processes, expectations and income.Think about it. Whatever is consistently entering your experience ends up becoming your reality.

Similarly, whoever is consistently in your experience is bringing dominate thoughts, attitudes and actions to your reality.

Who we spend our time with determines what conversations dominate our attention and the observations, attitudes and opinions we are repetitively being introduced to.

Eventually, we start to eat what they eat, talk like they talk, read what they read, watch what they watch, treat people how they treat people, even dress like they dress and think like they think.

All the while this may not even be a conscious transition.Your associations don't shove you in a direction; they nudge you ever so slightly over time.

The take-away here is to form a team around you that will help you achieve your goals. Try to be in their circle, befriend them, or get someone to introduce you to them. Get someone or have a friend who is an 'expert' to help you in the following areas: health, finance, career, interests, travel, family, etc.

Thanks to Swim Smooth Blog