6 Ways to Surround Yourself with Passionate People

‘You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.’ ~Jim Rohn

There is no faster, more effective way to go from where you are to where you aspire to be than having passionate and supportive people around you.

We choose our environment.  Who we surround ourselves with is completely under our control.

It can be tough to change our surroundings, and most of us may feel stuck where we are in this regard.

We know how important it is to connect with the right people in order to reach our full potential.

I love human interaction, making new friends, and bringing people together.  Slowly but surely I have built a team of people who not only inspire me, but more importantly, will refuse to let me fail.

Here are ways to create an environment and network of people to help you reach your full potential:

6 Ways to Surround Yourself with Passionate People

1. Fire toxic friends. This one is really tough, but it absolutely has to happen before all else. Identify the people in your daily life who you notice constantly make you feel crappy. The ones who may not support you and leave you drained after hanging for a bit. Make a list. You need to start spending less time around them.

2. Find new surroundings. Now, if you leave your toxic friends but have no one else to hang out with, you’ll likely go right back to them. Start with making time to hang or speak with one inspiring friend for an hour a week.  Then grow it.  Watch TED talks, read books from passionate people, go see local talks.  Do anything to surround yourself with positive, passionate people.

3. Help others and share information of value with them. All of us have things we can offer to others. Nothing feels better and nothing creates faster, more memorable genuine connections than helping. I have been helping friends with their finances lately, for example.  My friend Rob, who is an incredible photographer, is helping me by taking beautiful photographs of my camp for me.

4. Create online connections. For every passion, there is an online community.  I have joined an online group through Leo Babauta’s Sea Change Program, a community for habit change.

5. Be a huge people person.  Go out on dates with several friends, have drinks, create workout clubs, travel together, create a mastermind group. Do anything you can to make great people a part of your life.

6. Just go. If you don’t step out the door, send that email, dial that number, or go to the local event (yes, even alone), you will never find the people and environment you need. Just showing up is more than half the battle.  Just get out and go.

I’ve spent time with plenty of people who have told me that it’s impossible to build a life and career around work I’m truly passionate about.  Hell, even my private trombone teacher in high school tried to tell me this!

The more time we hang around these people, the more we start to believe it and the less we actually try to make a meaningful impact in the world.

So what are you going to do?  The choice is yours.  Totally on you.

The people around us will change everything about our life, for the better … or worse.  You decide how you want that going down.

After all, what could be possible with the right people in your life?