3rd November 2024
Did you know there is power in association and that the people who you regularly hang out with have a huge influence on your attitude, your determination, your beliefs, your inspiration and the outcome of your success? They impact on how you think about things, how you act on things and on the decisions you make on a daily basis.
It’s true, and that’s why hanging out with the right people is important!
Swami Vivekananda gives a beautiful explanation on Association.
Explaining the meaning of ‘Association,’ He said:
“The rain drop from the sky: If it is caught in hands, it is pure enough for drinking. If it falls in a gutter, its value drops so much that it can’t be used even for washing the feet. If it falls on hot surface, it perishes.
If it falls on lotus leaf, it shines like a pearl and finally, if it falls on oyster, it becomes a pearl. The drop is same, but its existence and worth depend on with whom it associates.”
Jim Rohn, renowned personal development guru said,” You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and that means everyone in your life counts.”
Behind every man’s success or failure, the association he keeps matters the most, it has been rightly said, “Either People inspire you, or they drain you — pick them wisely.”
Once upon a time, in a village, two monkeys fell in a very deep and dark well. Fearful of death, both tried to climb up. Soon, many other monkeys gathered at the surface of the well. They screamed :
“Don’t try. It’s very deep. Its impossible to escape. You can’t make it.”, shouted the fellow monkeys.
One of the monkeys at bottom of the well, hearing the demotivating words, gave up.
Surprisingly, to the amazement of everyone, the other monkey was trying his best to climb.
The more others shouted about the uselessness of his effort, the more this monkey was inspired.
Falling at times, he chose not to give up. Finally, he made it! “Thank you for motivating me”, he said.
Later others realized, he was DEAF! He took the discouraging words to be a call for his rise!
Association matters! Association is not about physical proximity but about the influence of a person’s words and actions on another.
That explains the failure of the other monkey, even though life presented the same challenge to both!
“The best way to get better is to surround yourself with better people.”
Search for an association like an oyster, which can transform you into a shining and effulgent pearl!
So, to raise the quality of your life, hang out with people who can inspire & motivate you!
Always be associated
With people who are good at heart,
With people who are givers not takers,
With people who are motivators & not critics,
With positive people and not negative people,
Become a pearl and stay blessed forever.