Keeping Company

The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best - Epictetus

How often have you been in a situation when your family or co-workers or freinds or relatives have been gathered together discussing their aches and pains, or illnesses. I was in a situation like that a couple of days ago and I just wanted to get away. I really felt that if I stayed around them, maybe I would get sick too, just from listening to their words. That is the effect that talking about physical discomfort has on the healthy people listening. It is very much a downer.

Most people are constantly complaining. Even if they feel good physically, they will find something else that is not up to par. We tend to focus on what is not right in our lives. How many long discussions have you had with anyone lately about the beauty of a rose or the resilience of the grass growing in the sidewalk? How would you feel after such a discussion? Imagine how much better you would feel in general if you talked mostly about what is good in the world instead of about what is wrong with it.

This is why it is so important to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best. You want to feel good, and that just isn't going to happen when you keep company with people who complain and blame and think that there is no hope for change. You want to be around people who can inspire, motivate, and encourage you to do your best, to make a positive difference in the world, to be the person you were meant to be. Having a solid group of people like this around you is one of the most important ingredients for your success. Seek these people out today.