The People Around Us
There are many ways in which people around you can influence you. On the positive side, there are mentors (people who guide you to be the best version of what you aspire) and well-wishers (people who wish the best for you). On the negative side, there are manipulators (people who try to take advantage of you for their benefit) and underminers (people who try to pull you down). However, this blog post is not about any of them. It is about everyone around you who have a subtle influence - something that is hard to notice if you don’t zoom out and look at the big picture. The people around you define what is possible and in some cases they define what is the norm.
The people around you define what is possible and in some cases they define what is the norm.
You’d find that most of the innovation around the world is concentrated in hubs like Silicon Valley, Seattle, Tel Aviv, Bengaluru etc. One of the reasons behind this is the culture - failures are learnings and anything is possible.
The best perks in the top innovative companies are not the free food or the free massages but the people. The people around you push the boundaries on what is possible. They inspire you, challenge you and bring out the best in you.
So, what can you do? Here are some action items -
Find Like-Minded People - If you’d like to maintain a healthy lifestyle, you might consider joining a gym as a good first step. A better thing to do would be to join a group of friends who workout regularly, who can motivate you and push you. Sure, you can still get fit with all the people around you criticizing you and pulling you down, but why would you?
Read Books - Broaden your perspective by reading books that challenge your views. Learn to be nimble and be prepared to be proven wrong.
Reflect - Once a while take time on reflect, think back on the areas of your life you could improve upon. It is sometimes possible to get caught up in our daily lives and not see the big picture.
Kaushik Rangadurai
Code. Learn. Explore