SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THOSE WHO INSPIRE YOU

 

When I was younger, I joined the army. It didn’t work out well for me and so I came out and got a job as a labourer. My life revolved around working during the week and partying at weekends. I was surrounded by people who did the same and none of us were going anywhere in life. At times, I would spend time with people who were poisonous and had negative attitudes, behaviours and ambitions. Being around people like this brought out my worst qualities. As these were the people I spent most of my time with, I thought this was normal. Back then, I didn't know anything different.

I sometimes felt sad and depressed, I didn’t feel confident and had no self-belief. I didn’t realise there was another, better life out there for me. I had no ambition or drive to better myself and improve my life and what I didn’t realise at the time was that part of the problem was the people I surrounded myself with. Of course, it was me as well – I am responsible for my own behaviour, but as Jim Rohn once said, ‘you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with’. Environment has more of an influence on us than we may think. I might make my own decisions, but they will be influenced by the people around me.

I was stuck in this cycle and one day a person came into my life. Meeting this person created a turning point for me and changed the direction in which my life was heading. They encouraged and inspired me to make some changes and opened the door to the career I have now. In the four years this person was in my life, they showed me my potential. They showed me that I was capable of more and they brought out the best in me. This one person influenced who I am today and what I have achieved in my career so far.

If I had not met this person I don’t know where I would be, but I do know I wouldn’t be in the position I am now. Our lives are built by a series of circumstances and decisions, some of which are in our control, some of which are not. There may be times where we miss an opportunity and we never know it. Luckily for me I took a chance on this person, invested in our relationship and consequently I have had some incredible adventures and experiences, and met lots of awe-inspiring people along the way.

Life presents challenges and I’m sure the person who inspired me to change the trajectory of my life also went through some difficult experiences that helped them become the inspiring person they are today. This relationship has created a chain reaction – just as they inspired me, I seek to inspire others, both in my career and my personal life.

Ever since the day I met this person, I have grown with strength, confidence, and self-belief. I no longer doubt myself and this is partly due to the people who I now surround myself with. I have created an environment, a community of people who want to achieve new goals both in and out of the gym.

Of course, life presents challenges. There have been bad days and there will continue to be bad days. The difference today is how I respond to them, how I prepare for them. The bad days that life occasionally throws at me, I now see as a challenge rather than a personal insult. I have changed my perception and I welcome such challenges as it gives me the opportunity to grow.

I have learned that to get the best out of life, I need to surround myself with positive people. People who will encourage me and who I can encourage too. It took one person to change the trajectory of my life, but this opened the door to meeting many others who have done the same. I have gone from being in a dead-end job, getting drunk at the weekend and hanging around with negative people to building a fitness community, career and along with it, friends. I have an amazing girlfriend with whom I have two daughters and I hope I can share these experiences with them as they get older so that hopefully they can avoid the pitfalls I fell into during my early adulthood. I was 30 when I decided I wanted to make changes in my life. Sometimes I wish I had turned my life around earlier, but I wouldn’t be who I am today if I hadn’t been through these challenges. I learned from the difficult times in my life, and they helped to make me the person I am today.

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