The better people pledge

There is one resolution that is relatively easy to keep, and it’s one that will have a bigger impact on your life than anything else you could possibly do.

If there’s one piece of wisdom I could give to young people just starting their adult lives, it would be this…

“The quality of your life will always be in direct proportion to the quality of the people in your life. So be very, very selective about who you allow into your circle of influence”. 

Most people spend more time choosing a pair of shoes than choosing friends, work colleagues, and others that will have a huge impact on who they become.

They then take clues for what’s normal from the worst people possible, simply because those people are in their circle of influence.

They get financial advice from broke people, marital advice from people whose marriage is more of a competition than a partnership, and so on.

While it’s not possible to eliminate all the negative people in your life, you can at least limit your exposure to them – just as you would limit your exposure to the sun.

If you want to impress yourself with the person you are on 12/31/19, take this “Better People Pledge” today:

In 2019, I will spend less time around people who…

1. I only hear from when they want something, and more around those who reach out just to wish me a happy birthday or say hi.

2. Never thank me when I do something for them, and more around those who do.

3. Are so disrespectful that they never return my phone calls or emails, and more around those who are respectful to everyone – even when there’s no direct benefit to them.

4. Monopolize every conversation, and more around those who know when to shut up and listen.

5. Do things I wouldn’t want my kids to do, and more around the kind of people I’d want my kids to grow up to be like.

6. Always find something to criticize or complain about, and more around those who can find the silver lining in the worst possible circumstances.

7. Don’t practice what they preach, and more around those who lead by example.

8. Always put others down, and more around those who always lift others up.

9. Are always looking for what they can get, and more around those always looking for how they can help.

10. Expect everything and appreciate nothing, and more around those who expect nothing and appreciate everything.

11. Are enablers that remain silent when I do self-destructive things, and more around those who care enough to tell me what I need to hear, even when I don’t want to hear it.

12. Take freely but give little, and more around those who pay it forward.

13. Suck the life out of the room when they walk into it, and more around those who make everyone’s life better by being a part of it.

14. Are always envious of others, and more around those who know how to be happy for others.

15. Are always looking for someone to bail them out of the messes they get themselves into, and more around those who solve their own problems.