There’s this little gem of personal development “wisdom” circulating the internet that goes like this:

“You’re the average of the five people you spend most of your time with.”

I’ve seen this idea applied to income. As in, if you took out a calculator and added up your top 5 BFF’s incomes, your income will be the average of those 5 people.

I’ve also seen this idea applied to behavior and attitude. As in, you will behave in line with the average of the 5 people you spend the most of your time with.

It doesn’t take a math whiz to calculate that this theory doesn’t work for everyone. These days, the 5 people I spend most of my time with are my husband and our four sons. Now, I love my kids to the moon and back, but I definitely out-earn them (ha!) and we behave very differently.

I think the basic idea behind this quote is a good one, though: Pay attention to the people you allow to influence you.

If you’re allowing yourself to be influenced by people who…

• aren’t tapping into their creative potential
• just want to hang out and stay the same
• never take risks

…then, you won’t either.

On the other hand, if you’re allowing yourself to be influenced by people who…

• challenge themselves to be their best
• think big
• cheer you on as you grow into the person you’re called to be

….you’ll be more likely to do just that.

The key concept here is influence. Your behavior will naturally align with the mindset you allow yourself to hold. Learn to be in charge of what you allow to influence your mindset.

The awesome thing about your mindset is that you’re in charge of it.

You don’t have to politely ask it to leave or stop answering its text messages and hope it gets the hint.

The moment you identify a mindset, you can choose to kick it out…or invite it to stay.

For example, there have been times in my life where I’ve indulged a negative mindset. My top five influencers were:

• DOUBT
• DESPAIR
• FEAR
• LACK
• ANGST

These were the absolute worst 5 “friends” I could have wasted my precious time with.

When I let these influencers prevail, my “results” in life followed suit – poverty, anxiety, overwhelm.

One by one, I kicked these negative influencers out of my life. I found new influencers that helped me create a positive mindset. My life began to change for the better immediately.

The top 5 influencers that I believe you must spend time with if you want to see success in your life are:

• FAITH
• HOPE
• LOVE
• GRATITUDE
• JOY

These are honestly what changed everything for me. When I drew a line in the sand inside my mind, my external circumstances (and my friends) began to follow suit.

Change your influencers, change your life.

Instead of evaluating the 5 people you spend the most time with, try evaluating yourself and your mindset.

Your turn! Tell me in the comments below: What ideas, beliefs and people are you allowing to influence your mindset?