Most of us want to feel more alive, empowered and positive in our daily lives. But how do we do that? Is there a secret? A top tip? A surefire way?
Honestly, yes. The secret? Surround yourself with positive people.
Now, this may be easier for some and harder for others. Whether it’s easy or difficult for you depends on the relationships you’ve cultivated throughout your life. But if you want to improve your happiness, your habits and your overall life satisfaction, you must surround yourself with positivity.
Why Personal Relationships Are So Influential
We need relationships on a very basic level. Close bonds increase our life satisfaction. Period. Having close relationships increases our enjoyment in life. It combats loneliness, which is a major happiness and positivity stumbling block.
We need to share the experiences in our lives. To have someone to tell our good news to. To commiserate with when something doesn’t go well and receive an encouraging word from. We need love and connection. Our relationships create a sense of belonging and home.
But it goes beyond love and belonging. Our loved ones powerfully influence our mindset, decisions and choices as well.
Sure, some people get caught up in the glamour of looking up to inspirational and aspirational role models. These types of superficial celebrities and social media influencers—you know the successful people we’re talking about—won’t encourage you to live life as your best self. But still, some people look at these individuals’ perfect Instagram lives and think, “That’s what I want.”
But, in reality, it’s our closest relationships that impact us the most. The everyday relationships we have with the people we truly know and deeply care about. Our good friends and family members influence us far more than motivational speakers and millionaires.
Why? It’s because we have that deep chord of connection with them. We truly care what they think. We want their approval or to hear them cheering us on or even just to have them on our side. It matters more than anything to us.
How Positive People (And Negative People) Influence Your Life
Now, it’s important to remember that influence works both ways. It works in your favor when you surround yourself with the best people, and it works against you when you surround yourself with bad people or people who bring you down.
If your best friend is extremely negative, won’t you always be exchanging negative vibes? Isn’t that detrimental to your positive mindset?
By contrast, if you choose to live life alongside like-minded people who encourage you to be your best self, you will become a better version of yourself. You will maintain healthy habits, be a better friend, a better family member, have more peace of mind and boost your self-improvement.
Negative people lead you to dwell on your limitations and fears. Positive people focus on growth and goals.
Which will you choose to surround yourself with?
5 Ways to Increase Your Circle of Positive People
If you’re looking for people to take you to your next level, you have to find positive people. Here are 5 ways to inject more positivity into your friend circle.
1. Release Unhealthy Relationships with Negative People
One of the most challenging things about surrounding yourself with people who make you your best self is that sometimes the closest people in your life—people who you’ve known for years—do not fall into that category.
So, now you have a choice to make. You must weigh the pros and cons of that relationship. It may be time to release or reduce that relationship if you realize it’s not serving you. It can be a difficult and emotionally draining choice, but if you want to maintain positivity in your social circle, this is a necessary (albeit gut-wrenching) step.
2. Be a Positive Person Yourself and Attract Other Positive People
Like calls to like, according to the Law of Attraction, so adopting positivity is absolutely essential for attracting other positive, successful, and motivated people into your orbit.
If you are into setting new goals and listening to podcasts, look for like-minded people who do the same. If you like self-improvement and getting out of your comfort zone, look for those types of people.
By actually living out the life you want, you will attract the right crowd.
3. Hang Out with Successful People
The best way to build momentum and quickly improve at anything is to practice with someone who’s more advanced.
You will have to be quick on your feet and work hard to keep up, but the results will be more than worth it. Successful people challenge you to grow and change, and they bring out the best in you.
Successful people are not afraid to just go for it—and sometimes, that can be exactly the push you need to succeed.
4. Surround Yourself with Encouragers
One must-have component for staying positive is to have a great support network. Positive people can accept a compliment gracefully and know when to give a boost to others as well.
Encouragers are motivators. They lift others up; they don’t drag them down. Good friends do that too. Do your current friends and family members support you? Do they acknowledge a job well done? Do they get excited when you’re excited about something?
If not, you may need to increase the positivity in your circle a bit. Because receiving encouraging feedback is necessary for good emotional and mental health.
5. Make Friends with People Outside Your Comfort Zone
Are you caught up in your own limitations? Does your social group stay inside a certain border?
Happy and positive people tend to branch out. They stretch themselves. They reach for the stars. And you know what? They love it. They love meeting new people with interesting ideas and new ways of looking at the world!
So, ask yourself this simple question today: Is your circle of good friends too small?
If it is, go outside your comfort zone, and surround yourself with people who do the same.
There’s nothing better than meeting new people, coming together and discovering community in a new way.
Plus, you may just find new voices of encouragement, positivity and hope among them.
13 Inspirational Quotes to Live By
Some of our favorite things to gather are motivational quotes from successful people and great thinkers. Here is a collection of inspirational quotes on this subject from insightful people.
1. “You become like the five people you spend the most time with. Choose carefully.”
–Jim Rohn
2. “Surround yourself with those who only lift you higher.”
–Oprah Winfrey
3. “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.”
–Anonymous
4. “Bad company corrupts good character.”
–Menander, Greek dramatist and poet
5. “Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who will argue with you.”
–John Wooden
6. “Surround yourself with good people, surround yourself with positivity and people who are going to challenge you to make you better.”
–Ali Kreiger
7. “If you want to become healthy, you have to surround yourself with a group of people that are getting healthy, and you have to be connected to a community that is doing what you want to do.”
–Henry Cloud
8. “Try new things, step out of your comfort zone, take risks, do things in ways you’ve never done them before, ask for help, surround yourself with self-actualized people, become obsessed with the fact that you have one go-round on this planet as the you that is you, and realize how precious and important it is not to squander that.”
–Jen Sincero
9. “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too can become great.”
–Mark Twain
10. “Everyone is your best friend when you are successful. Make sure that the people that you surround yourself with are also the people that you are not afraid of failing with.”
–Paula Abdul
11. “Surround yourself with the dreamers, and the doers, the believers, and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself.”
–Edmund Lee
12. “The only thing that will change your life, change your business, change your relationship, is that you must raise your standards.”
–Tony Robbins
13. “Negative people deplete your energy. Surround yourself with love and nourishment and do not allow the creation of negativity in your environment.”
–Deepak Chopra
Surrounding Yourself with Positive People Is a Priority!
Hopefully, now you understand the importance of surrounding yourself with positive people. Remember that these are the types of people who encourage you to live life with positivity! Know that not all positive people are the most successful people, but they’re always motivated people. These are the people who are working towards their goals, and they want you to work towards yours too. Take advice from people like Jim Rohn, Oprah Winfrey and Mark Twain. If you want to be your best self, stay away from negative people and find more positive people to add to your life.
Now that you have all of this knowledge, it’s time to act! What do you need to do to increase positivity in your circle?
