Do you remember the common saying: Birds of a feather flock together, or No man is an island?
These sayings have something worthwhile to engrave in our minds. That is why you see
drunkards always attracting people of like-minds. You must keep looking for positive lives to
continue with you on the journey of life if you want to remain positive.

If your life is positive, you may be attracting like minds but that doesn’t mean that you would not
find some people around you who try to bring you down.

The power of association is extremely significant in the way it dictates who you are and how
much money you make. If you want to change yourself or your lifestyle, then it may be time to
change the people you associate with.

Successful business people have said that their friends who didn’t have money left them. Their
friends who have made no money have never come to them to ask them how they did it. But they
do come to them to ask for one of two things, or both: a loan or a job. In your later years, you
may also find this to be true.

Like the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad said, “The reason you want to have rich friends is because
that is where money is made—on information. You want to hear about the next big boom, get in,
and get out before the next bust. The sooner you know good information, the better. You will not
hear about good information from poor friends. If you want to be rich, do the financially-
intelligent thing and be friends with people who are rich and who have good information to
share.”

Spurred on by the likes of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, more and more young people are
starting their own businesses or being promoted into influential positions. Yet, what matters most
is the kind of people they mingle with, the type of people they work with.

The Law Of Association and its effect on your success in life is something that many people are
not aware of but they should be. In the video Neil Ball talks about the power of the Law Of
Association and how it affects your success in life. The people who you associate with influence
virtually everything that you do including your thoughts, decisions, actions and success in life.
The decisions that you make about the people that you have as friends, family and work
colleagues are crucial if you want to get a head and be highly successful. In the video there is
also a strategy for selecting getting to know the right type of people.

Before I go on, these are three areas you must take care of you want to succeed, whether in
business or in life:

1. Find a Mentor

Many young entrepreneurs struggle to succeed because they don’t have a mentor. Whether it’s a
former boss, someone in your business network, or family friend, find a mentor who has
experience in your field and has walked in your shoes before. Not only can a mentor provide valuable advice, they can also give you access to contacts, resources, and events that you might not otherwise have access to.

2. Surround Yourself With the Right People

Just as it’s important to have a mentor, it’s also important to work on being around the right
people – as much as you can. Surround yourself with the kind of people who are living the life
you want to live or exemplify – they will challenge you and probably tell you things you don’t
want to hear, but they’ll also tell you the things you have to hear. Look to entrepreneurial groups,
experts in your industry, college professors – those who are respected in your industry or
community.

3. Put Yourself in Environments That Will Allow You to Grow

Just as surrounding yourself with the right people will challenge your way of thinking, push
yourself to seek out new possibilities beyond your comfort zone. As a series of young
entrepreneurs were given the following advice: “Putting yourself in an environment that causes
you to be against the wall and maybe is a little uncomfortable, but being around it enough times
you start to own it and you start to get a little bit more belief, in increments, in yourself and all
that adds up to where you’re comfortable in your own shoes…”

So, shun friends and associates who have negative outlook on life. If you don’t they will soon
contaminate your thinking. It won’t be long before you start having an attitude like theirs.
Stop spending time with people who don’t believe in you. Rather, network with people who can
push you up the ladder.

The richest people in Nigeria became rich because they are good networkers. They network
among themselves and even patronize each other’s services; and when a big deal is on board,
they pool their resources together, form a consortium, execute the deal and split the profits. This
is why they emerged the richest people in Nigeria.

If we really are the average of the 5 people we hang out with most, here are some things we
should consider: to succeed to, you must do this.

If you can observe the next five points without giving up, you’re on your way to success.

 If we hang out with professional, successful people, it forces us to be more successful.
 You need to ask whether a potential new friend raises the bar for you.
 Network up: seek out networking relationships that pull you out of your comfort zone.
 Open doors to people who have a positive attitude toward success.
 Some of your associates may rate a “D” for “delete” if they bring you down.

So don’t waste time in shunning people who will hold you down, while at the same time you are
quick to form alliance with people who will help you grow not just your business but your life.