“Why flock with turkeys when you can soar with eagles?” - Walter Hailey

Have you ever had a situation where your friends or coworkers were bringing you down or making you behave in a way that felt unauthentic to you? Have you ever felt demotivated on a project because those around you had bad attitudes? Have you ever been super motivated by a leader because of their positive attitude, passion, and drive?

The common link with all these situations is that others’ behaviors have the ability to heavily impact our own behaviors - and IF we are not mindful and allow it to happen. Our behaviors, attitudes, and mindsets are all contagious!

This past week, my son had some friends over for a dinner I was hosting. I noticed that when my son was around these certain friends, his maturity level dropped significantly, and the overall group behavior was bad. The next day, my son played basketball with a different set of friends at my house, and he was a completely different person with this group 

The situation caused me to reflect on the famous saying “You are the company you keep,"  which I define simply as, if you keep “bad” company, you can become the “bad” company, but if you surround yourself with “good” company, you are likely to be or become “good” company yourself!

This quote can translate into our workplace environment as well. When we walk into work in a bad mood or with a negative feeling, we are likely to make our coworkers feel the exact same way, which makes for a bad day for everyone - whether that was or wasn’t our intention! But when we meet a person who is smiling, friendly, and optimistic, the opposite occurs, and we find ourselves brought up and lifted by that person. It’s as simple as someone saying “good morning” or giving a friendly smile or hug. That positivity is contagious!

At the end of the day, people want to be around “good company." It makes us feel good and moves us to strive to do better. “Bad” company brings us down and nobody truly wants to fall into or get stuck in a bad state.

Think about your friend and/or coworker circle. Do they bring you up or bring you down? Are they positive influences? Think about your managers and or mentors in your life. Are they bringing you positivity? Keeping you motivated? Believing in your goals and dreams?

“When you can’t control what’s happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what’s happening. That’s where your power is!” – Anonymous

The second piece to recognize here is how you are taking care of yourself internally. Yes, it can be easy to allow your attitude, mindset and behavior to shift and reflect those around you if you aren’t aware. However, if we stay mindful and in the present moment, we can train our brain to not allow external situations or other people to affect us!

Of course, this is much easier said than done and takes constant active practice in order for it to become a more natural habit. Whatever you put out into the world, that is what you’re going to attract. Positivity attracts positivity, and negativity attracts negativity. Who you choose to surround yourself with is critical, as is how you are internally leading yourself and your mind.

Our time is precious! Surround yourself with people who bring out your best self. People who help you improve and eliminate those who don't.

Decide NOW if you really want others defining your state of mind and the day you’re going to have or if you want to be in control of how you’ll deal with everything that comes in.