Choose your associations well

08 Sep, 2017 - 00:09 0 Views

The ManicaPost

Arthur Marara Motivation for Success
The  Choices for Greatness series is meant to give you points to ponder on where you are and where you want to go for your life. One of the choices you need to make for your greatness is the choice of your associations. This will be 5th Choice for greatness.

Real questions for real change

  • Let’s ask each other a few questions before we go very far.
  • Who is in your life right now
  • Who do you forward messages as soon as they get to your WhatsApp?
  • Why do you call them your best friend?
  • What is best about them?
  • Are they the type of people you would want your children to learn or copy from?

Questions do change your life.

Start asking the right questions before you can expect your life to be in the perfect alignment that you would want it to be. “Good company and good discourse are the sinews of virtue” [Izaak Walton]. It is better to have no friends at all than to have a thousand friends who do not add value to you. Our success in life is also dependent on the associations that we create and sustain in life. Associations can either build you or destroy you. Certain business started because of associations, other businesses were liquidated because of associations. Other people destroyed their marriages because of the associations they created or became part of. This week we are going to share some thoughts about the importance of association, friendship, and partnership whatever you may want to call it.

Evaluation is a critical component of assessing where you are going with your life. Interrogate your choice of friends. You can do this by asking yourself some common sense questions. Fortunately, Jim Rohn put across the questions in an interesting way, “You must constantly ask yourself these questions: Who am I around? What are they doing to me? What have they got me reading? What have they got me saying? Where do they have me going? What do they have me thinking?  Great people understand the importance and power of healthy associations. A number of parents are always particular about the people who are around their children. This is because they know that a child can have alien behaviour which they never had before merely because of association.

The story of the four lepers

A story is often told about four leprous men in Ancient Israel. Eugene Peterson puts it in an interesting way: “It happened that four lepers were sitting just outside the city gate. They said to one another, ‘What are we doing sitting here at death’s door? If we enter the famine-struck city we’ll die; if we stay here we’ll die. So let’s take our chances in the camp of Aram and throw ourselves on their mercy. If they receive us we’ll live, if they kill us we’ll die. We’ve got nothing to lose’.”(MSG) (2 Kings 7:3-4). Leprosy then was considered a curse and those who were affected by it were treated as outcasts. Four people found themselves in this scenario, a friendship ensued, but it later birthed inspirational actions because of what they decided to do. In particular, they opened their minds.

Have friends who desire better things

Desist from associations that tolerate mediocrity. The greatest impediment to a better tomorrow is the satisfaction of today. People who are contended with the status quo will never hunger for change in their life. The four lepers became sick and tired of the status quo and made a decision to challenge it, “Why are we sitting here until we die?” (NKJV) (2 Kings 7:3). If you circle yourself with people who do not feel the need for development in their own lives, they will never inspire you to develop your own life. If you hang around four broke people, you will be number five. “We acquire the characteristics of the people we associate with on a steady basis.” The four lepers were able to realise the need to take action in order to change the course of their lives. They were not afraid to take action, and they were ready to take risks. Why not surround yourself with people who inspire you to take positive risks?

Surround yourself with people who add value to you

“Surround yourself with people of like mind and different talents and temperaments with the purpose of serving the goals of every member of the group. Associate with these people on a regular basis” (Jeff Olson).

People who do not add value to you take away value from you. What are you learning from the people who are in your circles? How better is your knowledge about business, by interacting with the people you are interacting with? This question can be extended to any area of your life. Make a date with me on the 30th August 2017 on Star FM with Tariro from 09:40am- 10:00am for some Moments of Inspiration.

  • Arthur Marara is an attorney, author and motivational speaker. He is also the author of “Personal Development Toolkit”, “Keys to Effective Time Management”, “The Power Within” and “Keys to Financial Freedom”. Send your comments to +263772467255.

 

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