You are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with.
I heard this from two unrelated sources this week and it kind of threw me for a loop as I thought through the 5 people I spend the most time with. When I was in high school and college this was such an easy concept, because I actually got to choose the people in my life. Growing older you don't always have that luxury. I think about jobs in the past where I spent 40 or more hours a week with people that I wouldn't want to be anything like. And thinking about my now I almost have to split my life into two catagories 1) The people I'm spending the most time with, and 2) The people I want in my life more.
It's so easy for me to get my wires crossed when it comes to interacting with the world around me. Not to pull the introvert card, but there are moments when its hard for me separate the interactions that I need with the interactions that I have. We all need quality people in our lives that push us forward, make us think, and call us to more.
All in all, this week I've been reminding myself to take inventory of my influences, to value the qualities in those around me that I admire, and guard my heart when it comes to the qualities I may not want to pick up (because lets be honest...we all have them).
You may not always get to pick the 5 people you spend the most time with, but you do get to choose the qualities in the people around you that influence your life.