Darren Hardy - Monday, February 16, 2009 13:31 - 8 Comments

Workaholics Anonymous—A 12-Step Program of Recovery and Personal Transformation (Step 5)

In Step 4 I reminded you of the importance of being selective with the input you allow to feed your mind. It is a never-ending battle to stand guard against input that can derail your creative potential. Controlling the input that gets into your head has a direct and measurable impact on your productivity and outcomes.

The next most powerful influence I’d like to introduce to you is one that is more far more subtle and imperceptible; thus can be even more detrimental. This influence is the power of your associations.

Jim Rohn tells us we become the combined average of the five people we hang around the most. The people we spend our time with determine what conversations dominate our attention, and what observations, attitudes and opinions we repetitively are introduced to.

Eventually, we start to eat what they eat, talk like they talk, read what they read, watch what they watch, treat people how they treat them, even dress like they dress and think like they think. All the while you might not even be conscious of it.

“Associations are both subtle and powerful.” —Jim Rohn

Your associations don’t shove you in a direction; they nudge you ever so slightly over time. The influence is so subtle it is like being on an inner tube out in the ocean, feeling like you are floating still, until you look up and realize the subtle current has pushed you a half mile down the shore. The rest of that Jim Rohn lesson is this: You will have the combined attitude, health and income of the five people you hang around the most.

**FREE Gift: As you have probably surmised, my association with Jim Rohn has had a profound influence on my life. I’d like to offer every reader of this blog a gift. You can go to Jim Rohn’s Web site, where we set up a free download of his 60-minute talk, Leading an Exceptional Life. Click here for the free download

So, what IS the combined average income of the five people you spend most of your time with? Does the answer frighten you? If so, Continue…