Yesterday, I focused on people you should run from. Today I want to focus on the people that you should surround yourself with!

In the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell has a law,The law of the Inner Circle, that states, “Those closest to you will determine the level of your success!

The older I get, the more I recognize how profound that is.

If you meet anyone that is successful, I guarantee you that they have surrounded themselves with great people. Few people are successful unless a lot of other people want them to be. It’s critical to know who to surround ourselves with in life. I thought I’d share some people I believe you need to surround yourself with:

Adders – Adders are people who you enjoy spending time with because they make you feel great. You don’t feel drained or upset after being with them. You don’t dread having to spend time with them, in fact you’re happy you get to spend time with them! Examples:

• Encouragers – Everyone needs encouragement. You want people in your inner circle that you know you can go to and come away encouraged.

• People that Can Pick Up where They Left Off With You – Some of the most refreshing people in life are those you can go years without seeing and yet, when you see them again, it’s like no time passed at all.

• People You can Be You With – Don’t you love people you can be with and just be yourself and at the same time, have a blast? We need these people in our lives!

Multipliers -You want as many of these as you can get! Often, they are mentors who can take us further, faster, in our journey. A few examples of multipliers are:

• People that can Tell You No and Challenge You – These people are crucial in helping us maintain our integrity. They help keep us from making stupid decisions. They inspire and challenge us to do more and go farther!

• People that Dream Bigger and Think Bigger than We Do – Aren’t there some people who you spend time with and afterward you’re dreaming bigger than you ever have and thinking bigger than you ever have?

• People Who Are Doing What we Would like to be Doing – These are people who are farther ahead in the journey than we are. You want to surround yourself with people who are successful in all of the areas you’d like to be successful in. People who are where you’d like to be in your walk with God, financially, relationally, in our careers, and in life.

Evaluate where you are in life right now. Now evaluate the people you surround yourself with. Where you are in life is a reflection of the people you’ve surrounded yourself.

Don’t like where you are or where you’re going? Perhaps it’s time to change your inner circle.

What other kind of people should we surround ourselves with?

Thoughts?

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”                                                         -Steve Jobs

It’s amazing how someone can say something to us when we’re 10 years old and it still has an impact on us when we’re 50! So many people that I talk to have been scarred by voices from their past. Maybe it was a teacher who told us we’d never amount to anything, maybe it was a boss who told us we are worthless, maybe it’s the boy or girl you had a crush on that said you were ugly, maybe your parents only focused on what was wrong with you instead of what’s right about you.

Then there are those who have changed our lives forever as a result of the good they spoke over our lives. The first person that told you that you were a leader and had potential, the first time someone pointed out your gifts, or the first person who helped you realize that you can dream big and go for it.

If we’re wise, we’ll learn to run away from people who bring us down and surround ourselves with people that lift us up. Today I want to focus on the people you should run away from.

Here is my list:

Pessimists – I have a really hard time being around people who always see the negative side of things. If someone in your life is always saying, “You can’t, don’t get your hopes up, you’re crazy, don’t think that will ever happen for you, etc.” RUN!

Critics that Don’t Love You – Criticism can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Often it depends on who is giving it. The critics that you want to run from are critics that do not love you and have your best interest in mind. If the purpose of someone criticizing you or the criticism itself isn’t going to help you get better, ignore it and run!

Subtracters and Dividers – There are people in your life who subtract and divide. People who subtract, bring us down. People who divide, have the ability to tear us apart with their words and attitudes. Don’t waste your time with either of these people.

Whiners and Complainers – In addition to being pessimistic, whiners and complainers, can never have a conversation without whining and complaining about something they are not happy about. These people will drain you. Run!

The Voice of Your Past – Sometimes we need to run from ourselves. The voice that tells us we can’t do something. The voice that validates our insecurities and fears. When these thoughts start coming your way, catch it, and focus on what God says about you.

What other type of people do we need to run from?

Who are the people in your life that are constantly bringing you down?

**Note if these people are people you live with, like your parents, I am not telling you to run away from home! That is another conversation for another day!

Thoughts?

Tomorrow we’ll focus on people to surround ourselves with!

Last weekend I had the privlidge of speaking at Champion Life Church. I spoke on the topic: Winning with Others: Be a World Changer.

You can listen to the message here.

Download the message here.

Be a world changer!