Day 62: The Company You Keep

When you surround yourself with excellence it takes effort not to embrace that energy and want to emanate it.

This is especially true if you have a growth mindset.

I remember learning about both growth and fixed mindsets and thought: who would want to stay fixed! Seemed like lunacy to me.

That was over a decade ago and prepandemic. Having been through something as chaotic and grand scale as a global pandemic the idea of people having fixed mindsets started to make more sense.

Don’t rock the boat. Survival mode. Exist, don’t strive for thriving.

Growth takes energy. And a lot of it. Same with excellence. You will never find someone who is an expert in their field without them having put countless hours into the trade.

And when I’m talking about excellence, it’s multi-pronged. Not just professional but also personal. The excellent people, they have to achieve it in multiple aspects of their lives. Work and output. Relationships with associates, family and friends. Healthy lifestyle of eating well, sleeping, and exercising their body and mind.

Sounds exhausting lol.

But when you find people like that, rub up on them. Not literally. But be in their presence when you can.

I’m fortunate enough to know many excellent people. Thank God one of them is my spouse. That proximity to him over the past 26 years has helped me develop in so many ways.

There’s like a handful of others including my business partner, Carin. She is just remarkable and her stamina and common sense plus ability to communicate complex things always has me in awe.

Choose who you are spending your life with wisely. Sure you might be in a situation at work where your surrounded by asshats but when you aren’t at work, can you have dinner, go on a walk, grab drinks with someone you admire? Make it a worthwhile experience and don’t spend the whole time bitching about your work. Let them talk.

That’s something I’ve noticed about excellent people too. They are remarkable listeners and they don’t complain. They may try to problem solve by communicating a negative situation, but it’s never from a victim mindset. It’s from gathering feedback to help resolve an issue.

Just thinking about the past few weeks and encounters I’ve had it’s wild seeing the similarities. They are so present in the moment. Engaged listening. Asking pointed questions regarding their experiences. Offering up suggestions and feedback, when warranted. Empathy, humility, good manners, confidence, and humor. Fully present.