April 8, 2024

Although you can be friendly with everyone, you can only be great friends with some. It’s essential to choose your close friends carefully. Our friends have a significant impact on us, either positively or negatively. Therefore, it's crucial to surround ourselves with people who value integrity and excellence and spend our time with them. Surrounding yourself with individuals you aspire to become more like can help you grow and develop personally and professionally. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people." Make it a priority to associate closely with those who talk about vision and ideas rather than people.

Integrity is vital to living an excellent life. We must make a conscious decision to be excellent in every aspect of our lives, as it affects all our decisions. We will be presented with the choice of being excellent or mediocre daily. However, choosing to be excellent can help us succeed in every area of life and even change our lives.

The importance of surrounding yourself with positive people lies in how you become a better person because of them. Over the years, I have learned to align this truth with Proverbs 27:17: "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." This verse motivates me to take responsibility for “finding iron" by associating myself with good people who positively shape and sharpen my life and the lives of others. It also encourages me to "be iron" to those my influence impacts.

Intentionally Own It: I urge you to invest your time in the company of people whose attitude you respect and admire. Choose individuals who inspire you to become a better version of yourself and positively impact your mindset. Spend time with those who are careful with their words, as this will encourage you to do the same. Remember, the company you keep will impact you significantly - an inward and mental sharpness comes from being around good people. With intentionality: “Find your Iron!" and "Be Iron!"