The People You Spend the Most Time with WILL Affect Your Chances for Success!

When it comes to relationships, whether its business or personal, the people you spend the most time with will have the greatest impact on your frame of mind.

In the workplace, those around you can greatly affect your behavior, your attitude, even manipulate the way you think and behave, which if not positive and supportive, can be costly to your business success.

It doesn’t matter how talented you are, where you grew up, or the skills you possess.

All that matters – if you have the desire to be successful in business or life – who you choose to surround yourself with could make all the difference in the world.

Positive and Negative People Influence Our Success

Research has shown that the contagiousness of both positivity and negativity in people, whether in the work place or personal environment, can greatly influence our own behavior, in turn, our chances for success.

It can affect the way we think, the decisions we make, and even our self-esteem.

Even though everyone is their own person, research states that we are much more affected by our environment than we think.

When referring to the business world, it’s ideal to be surrounded by positive and encouraging people who would like to see you succeed in life.

At the same time, to keep the playing field level, it can also be a good idea to have a few critics here and there.

According to a study by the Journal of Consumer Research, those that want to make a positive change with their business will ask, “What did I do wrong,” or “what could I have done differently,” while others will not want to set themselves up for a negative response, but would rather hear only positive feedback.

Spouses Can Greatly Influence Success

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According to research conducted by the Washington University, located in Saint Louis, found that your spouse’s level of support in your efforts can lead to higher job satisfaction, promotions and raises.

I.E. – greater success for those with the desire to improve their life for themselves, family and business.

“Our study shows that it is not only your own personality that influences the experiences that lead to greater occupational success, but that your spouse’s personality matters too,” said Joshua Jackson, PhD, assistant professor of psychology in Arts & Sciences and author of the study.

Those with supportive spouses are more likely to take on challenges with their spouse, which in turn helps to experience more personal growth and happiness.

Surrounding Yourself with the Right People

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When you surround yourself with negative and unmotivated people, they will drain your energy and quite possibly, your potential for success.

Surrounding ourselves with positive, energetic and creative people will help our own potential for success multiply.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t about networking with successful people, although it sure couldn’t hurt – it’s about surrounding yourself with those who own positive traits, which will amplify your own.

You’ll want to choose those who will serve a variety of purposes in your life.

Three Types of Positive Influencers

In an article in Success magazine, author Shawn Achor suggests a mix of 3 types of positive influencers called: Pillars, Bridges and Extenders.

Pillars

These are the types of people that are your support network in the tough times.

They will have your back no matter what the circumstances are.

This is your best friend that will drop everything and come over to support your needs at any hour of the day or night.

This is the teammate that will step in when you are not having your best game – he will help you by taking up the slack to help keep you out of the negative spotlight.

Achor says: “you should have plenty of other people in your life who push you and call you out on things, but you also need sources of unconditional support and acceptance.”

Bridges

A bridge might be considered the person that would invite you out on the town.

He might be the person to introduce you to an investor that might just fund your upcoming project for your business.

Shawn states that you will recognize a person as a bridge “if there connections and resources do not overlap entirely with your own.”

He also says, “A bridge doesn’t have to be of higher status to connect you with other high-potential people or big opportunities.”

Extenders

According to the article, an extender is a positive influencer that pushes you outside of your own comfort zone.

This could be a friend or a mentor that usually has a different personality or skill-set from your own.

Example could be: if you are an introverted person, the extender would be the opposite, an extrovert.

This could help you greatly if you are wanting to set up a business gathering – your extroverted friend, with all his connections, would be an amazing asset for filling the room.

Achor states that: “he himself is a multi-tasker, and needs focused, detailed oriented-colleagues to slow him down when he is racing roughshod towards a goal.”

Conclusion: Those That Surround You WILL Affect your Chances for Success

Too often, we find ourselves attracted to those just like us.

Research shows that stepping outside our comfort zone, seeking diversity requires us to embrace people’s differences. Keep this in mind if you decide to analyze your social circle.

Seek out those who compliment your traits and tendencies, and those who will encourage you to step outside your comfort zone to shoot for the stars.

Find those who will be a positive, encouraging person who will support your efforts to better your life.