Tweet

It’s Not Just Who You Know … It’s Who You Associate With!

Guest post by: Pete Brand

Article Overview: I am always amazed when I see a couple who has been married for several years and they have adopted each others mannerisms and facial expressions. Sometimes it seems as though they underwent some crazy DNA experiment and were morphing into each other. It's not that difficult to understand how it happens when you think about it. We all share little sayings, inside jokes, private stories, and even similar philosophies on life. After all, your spouse is the person you spend the most time with. Well ... in most cases. :) These same traits, philosophies, and mannersims are transfered into our children as they are being brought up and maturing into adults. Although our children share our DNA and are predisposed to looking like us, there are many other characteristics they pick up from associating with us throughout their formative years.

It’s Not Just Who You Know … It’s Who You Associate With!

I am always amazed when I see a couple who has been married for several years and they have adopted each others mannerisms and facial expressions. Sometimes it seems as though they underwent some crazy DNA experiment and were morphing into each other. It's not that difficult to understand how it happens when you think about it. We all share little sayings, inside jokes, private stories, and even similar philosophies on life. After all, your spouse is the person you spend the most time with. Well ... in most cases. :)

These same traits, philosophies, and mannersims are transfered into our children as they are being brought up and maturing into adults. Although our children share our DNA and are predisposed to looking like us, there are many other characteristics they pick up from associating with us throughout their formative years. Some good .... Some bad.

Think about it for a second ...

Why do you speak the language you speak?

Why do you have the accent you have?

Why do you have the outlook on life you have?

It's most likely because of the people who raised you, the area of the universe in which you were raised, and the circumstances you lived through and experienced.

I am a pretty huge sports nut and have always found it quite interesting how so many siblings, and offspring of professional athletes end up becoming professional athletes as well. Sometimes they become professionals in opposite sports as their relatives. I understand some of this is genetic and that they share some of the same DNA, but I'm not willing to just dismiss it there.

These siblings and offspring have the ability to gain the same mindset and are exposed to those achievement oriented philosophies through association with these people. They don't find themselves in a situation where they are doubting whether they could ever accomplish it because they know someone very close to them who has. These people are also exposed to the exact formula it takes to achieve the same accomplishments.

Obviously the most important ingredient is FOLLOWING THE FORMULA, but knowing the process is a huge help.

The law of association doesn't just stop at family. This universal law extends to ALL the people we associate with. About 20 years ago I heard the saying, "Your income will be equal to the average of your five closest friends." I've heard this saying repeatedly over the years and every single time I "did the math" it proved to be right on. At times in my life that was very frustrating and I didn't want it to be true.

It makes perfect sense though. Think about it ...

Look at the five closest people in your life and what you talk about when you get together.

Do you spend your time talking about the future and what your goals are? Do you discuss strategies to improve the value you bring to the marketplace? Do you spend time doing physical activities and enjoying this beautiful world we are so lucky to be a part of?

Or

Do you spend time talking about how bad you have it and how you just don't feel good? Do you constantly discuss how the economy is horrible and how the way everything is going, we'll all be broke soon? Do you spend most of your time together sitting in the local drinking establishments getting hammered and complaining about politics or sitting in your mom's basement toking on your favorite bong?

Both of these scenarios are opposite ends of the spectrum and most of us are closer to either one or the other. You can see that the questions from either scenario will result in us taking either positive or negative actions depending on the thoughts and philosophies we are exposed to.

If we are associating with positive, achievement oriented people ... We'll take positive action and focus our attention on the belief that we are meant to achieve.

Conversely, if we are associating with negative people who believe the world is out to get them ... We'll do nothing but moan and complain about how bad we have it and how everyone is out to get us.

If you take the time to do an "audit" and find that the majority of the people you associate with are on the wrong side of the spectrum ... It's time to get some new friends!

You may think this sounds harsh but if you believe you are the one person who the law of association isn't going to affect, YOU ARE NUTS!

That's like believing the law of gravity doesn't apply to you. If you want to achieve more, have more, and enjoy life more ... You need to associate with the right people.

When we made the decision to join forces with Hanon McKendry we increased the potential of our company incredibly. Upon joining forces we now have the ability to associate daily with people like Bob Blanchard, Bill McKendry and an amazing, award winning staff.

This association has increased our confidence, our belief in what we can do, and has added a depth to our knowledge that could only have been added by developing such a close association with such great people.

If you want to become great ... you need to make sure you are associating with great people. It can be painful disassociating yourself from people you've been hanging out with for your entire life, but it will be much more painful to continue to associate with negative people, and the results you'll receive from NOT taking the step to change will continue to be just as painful.

Related Articles
  Connecting with a purpose Part 1
  Losing friends and family for your pursuit.
  The Detrimental Business Relationship: Are You Putting Yourself at Risk?
  WealthMasters, Intl. - The Best $20,000 I Have Ever Spent
  Simple Mindset Exercise To Open Your Eyes To Your Potential
  Adrenaline is Addictive
  Lessons in Customer Service for Target
  Quick Blog Writing Tips
  Feedback Say it Somehow
  Franchisee checklist - assessing the franchisor
  Associate Programs Advantages and Disadvantages
  Your Chamber Of Commerce Can Help Grow Your Business
  Timing
  A Case for Registering Your Domain and Hosting in Your Name
  In Business What is an Affiliate?
  Honoring your promises are highly profitable
  Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 5/SE 6 Preparation Article
  How to Convert a NonPaying Referral into a Paid Referral
  Dare To Look Them In the Eye
  How Does Cause-Related Marketing Work?

Article Tags: association, mannerisms, mentors, network marketing, networking, philosophies on life



Related Forum Posts
List of a few legitimate online business - Well My main methods to make money so far are adsense,affiliate marketing and freelancing and I think these are some more sites that can help me to make some more money.Your reviews are welcome: ::linkworth dot com>This site is awesome and offer lots of ways to make money. ::mturk dot com>complete simple mini task and get paid ::microworkers dot com>complete simple mini task and get paid ::shorttask dot com>complete simple mini task and get paid ::istockphoto dot com>sell stock photos ::eHow dot com>Make money writing ::Bukisa>Make money writing ::Associate Content>Make money writing ::Triond>Make money writing ::fiverr dot com>$5 freelancing job ::cpalead dot com>make money by completing offer ::peerfly>make money by completing offer
Jennifer Barney: Barney Butter - Despite the well-known health benefits of almond butter such as vitamin E, fiber, protein, phosphorous, no partially hydrogenated oils and more magnesium than spinach, many people either don’t like almond butter’s taste, don’t like its grainy texture or think it’s a facial scrub. But Jennifer Barney is determined to change all that. It was only a few years ago that, armed with a blender and bags of blanched almonds, Jennifer started whipping up addictively delicious batches of almond butter for her kids. Several burned out appliances later she succeeded in creating the familiar taste, texture and consistency of jelly’s better half, peanut butter. While the kids clamored for more, neighbors knew Jennifer could sell it. She started a business, supplying almond ambrosia to stores across California. After partnering with an investor she recently moved into her own peanut-free manufacturing plant complete with custom-built equipment, making Barney Butter the only almond butter safe for those with peanut allergies. Barney Butter is already well-known in California, Oregon, Florida, Arizona, Washington and Nevada. By January it will line the shelves of every Fresh Market across the country, heading toward household name fame along with Jif and Skippy. This kind of success is hardly a surprise because as anyone with a peanut butter palate will tell you, Barney Butter is pure almond joy. What we learned from Jennifer: Be a dreamer, but be realistic. Set time and financial limits. Once you’ve used them up accept that something isn’t working and you need to go in another direction. It may end up being the best decision you’ve ever made. I can’t believe it’s not peanut butter When my kids were teething they wanted “real” food. I searched for almond butter but could only find coarsely ground almonds, not anything smooth that they would eat. I thought, “With a little sweetener and salt I can make great-tasting, smooth almond butter!” It wasn’t the entrepreneur in me talking. It was a mom thing. I just wanted to make almond butter that looked and felt like peanut butter for my kids. The Juiceman Cometh I broke blender after blender until I finally invested in a heavy duty machine. The one that worked best was The Juiceman I found on eBay. I burned through at least four of those but my kids loved my almond butter! I didn’t tell people what I was doing because really, somebody might have locked me up. Spread the word - spreadable almonds! Eventually I started giving my almond butter to friends. It was a hit and everyone encouraged me to start a business. At the time I only had experience in birthing children. That’s it. I had no experience in business, manufacturing or food science. But I did know that starting a business was risky. My husband and I invested a small amount of our savings that we would be ok with never seeing again. Separation anxiety I knew my almond butter would separate while sitting on store shelves so I investigated the peanut butter industry’s methods for avoiding that. You would be amazed what you can find online. I found a University of Georgia professor who had written a research paper in 1996 about the application of palm oil to peanut butter for stabilization. I called him. He explained everything I needed to know. I’m sure he had no idea he was talking to a crazy blender-breaking housewife. The taste of success By law I had to hire a contract manufacturer to make and pack my product. But to save money I had my friend’s dad design my logo. Then I made labels on sticky paper, cut them out and stuck them on the jars myself. The friendliest mom and pop stores were happy to stock my almond butter because I was local. I did lots of store tasting events to make sure my product sold. Foot-loose and peanut free Eventually we out grew our co-packer. We needed a bigger space but couldn’t afford to invest one more cent in the business. I went looking for an investor and through one of my suppliers found not only an investor but a partner. At that point I could afford to expand and I now have my own peanut-free plant and state-of-the-art equipment. Almond butter and jelly We’re working on going national. Peanut butter is such a staple, but almond butter is healthier and is perfect for people with peanut allergies. I think that this is something people will love. It’s exactly like peanut butter but made only from almonds. Curiosity is key I’m sure at Ladies Who Launch you see this all the time in entrepreneurs but when I was developing my product I didn’t see it as work. I really enjoyed what I was doing and I was driven by curiosity. It became something of an obsession. I was determined to get it right. This Featured Lady was profiled by Ladies Who Launch Associate Editor Susie Lacey.
Julia Hartz of Eventbrite.com - Julia Hartz December 16th, 2008 Co-Founder & President Eventbrite.com As gigs go, Julia Hartz had a good one. While the rest of her twenty-something peers were merely watching MTV, Julia was working for the network in series development, producing wildly popular shows such as Jackass, Real World and Sorority Life. After two years there she took a job at FX. Nip Tuck, The Shield, Rescue Me-Julia was right in the thick of the hottest shows on TV. But in a dramatic move that would make her fictional characters proud, Julia gave it all up for a man. At least it looked that way on the surface. Actually she always knew working in LA would be short-lived so when her long-distance boyfriend Kevin proposed, she headed to San Francisco. And the TV-like saga continued. Not knowing whether they could live together, let alone work together, Julia and Kevin nonetheless launched Eventbrite, a do-it-yourself online event management and ticketing service, in 2005. Their relationship and their company thrived. Today Julia and Kevin are married, have a ten month old daughter, and can proudly say that though Eventbrite began as a small start-up, it has transacted millions of tickets to date. Talk about happily ever after. What we learned from Julia: In the start-up environment you’re wearing many hats. But if you want to grow, you’ve got to delegate. Hire good people and trust them to do their jobs. The most successful entrepreneurs are those who can relinquish well. Learning the Ropes Landing an internship at MTV was exciting. But being hired full time was even more so. There I was at 22 working on Jackass. It was amazing. When I moved to FX I was the youngest member and the only woman on a five-person executive team working on shows like Nip Tuck and The Shield. It was like a start-up; we all wore different hats. I learned to speak up and go with my gut. I built a foundation of knowledge and confidence that I still rely on today. Heading Home I left FX and headed to northern California to be with my fiancé Kevin. What a cliché. But I always knew FX would be short-lived. Yes I loved the creative process and meeting lots of new people but I never intended to stay in LA. I moved to San Francisco in the fall of 2005 to start Eventbrite with Kevin. We laugh about it now but at the time this was a big risk. We went from a long-distance relationship to living and working together. We had no idea how this dynamic would play out. Obviously it worked. We’re married and have a ten-month old. Born to Bootstrap I’m a planner. Plans make me happy. But when we started Eventbrite I had to give that up. I learned to take it one month at a time which was a huge growing experience for me. It was just the two of us in a conference room using saw horses and slabs of wood for desks. Boy were we bootstrapping it. All of our income went back into the business. We were our own bosses so we could do that. Start-Up Central We were occupying a small section of a much larger space that our land lord told us we could use. We filled it with other start-ups. At one point there were ten start-ups in there. The energy was amazing. This was where we built our company. Starting Out Strong We wanted to build a strong foundation from the very beginning so we focused on providing a great product. We figured either we would end up with the eBay of online ticketing or just a great small family business. Either way we weren’t going to skimp. We weren’t taking salaries and we didn’t use outside funding. We were incredibly capital-efficient. Our only hire was a CTO who lived in France. We focused on our product and growing the business during the day in the United States while he slept, and he built the technology while we slept. You can’t get more efficient than that. The Customer Challenge Our biggest challenge was customer acquisition because it wasn’t readily obvious how we would market our product. But because we provided world-class customer service, word of mouth was huge. We didn’t find search engine marketing to be very helpful in the beginning because we were too small for it to be effective. It’s kind of a catch-22. We had to grow first before we could use a tool that was supposed to help us grow. Balancing Business and Baby As a mother and a business owner I do get anxious now and then because I care so passionately about both roles. But I work from home sometimes so I can be with my daughter. I love to watch her climb out of her crib and make a break for it. We spend our down-time as a family. And Kevin and I have Wednesday date nights. Sometimes we’re practically sleeping in our salads but this time is sacred. This Featured Lady was profiled by Ladies Who Launch Associate Editor Susie Lacey.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Attracting Passionate Employees

Is the Media to blame for losses in super?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.