Can The 5 People You Spend the Most Time With Determine Your Wealth?
Written by
Adam Palasciano
Edited by
Nicholas Morine
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Surrounding yourself with people who have a positive impact on your life is important. Who are you spending the most time with? You might want to evaluate — there’s a theory that you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
According to Ellevate, the idea behind this theory is that the five people you spend the most time with will “shape who you are,” as highlighted by motivational speaker Jim Rohn. This theory relates to the law of averages, which explains that the result of any given situation will be the average of all outcomes.
The People Around You Make A Difference
It’s certain that the people you surround yourself with can influence your life, work, energy, attitude, and sense of self. Negative, toxic relationships can drain you, while positive, uplifting relationships can help you achieve success. If you surround yourself with positive people, this should in theory bring improvement to your life.
While Rohn’s theory supports this notion, there are others that say this is simply untrue: There could be more to your average life experience.
Your Average Depends On More Than Just Five People
While the five people you spend the most time can certainly influence you, influence does not stop with those five people. According to Medium, you’re the average of all the people around you, so it’s important to make sure you’re in the right environment. For example, happy friends make you happier — and not just those five people. But, can those same five people determine your wealth?
3 Ways To Tell If The People You Spend The Most Time With Are Influencing Your Wealth
Here are five ways to know whether these five people are influencing your average wealth:
- Your Spending Aligns With Theirs: Does your inner circle live lavishly, spending lots of money on things other than life’s essentials? Or, do they live below their means, spending only on what’s necessary? If you’re following suit either way, these people might be influencing your spending — behavior which correlates to how much wealth you accumulate.
- Your Saving Aligns With Theirs: If your inner circle is saving a lot, or contrarily if they’re in a lot of debt, you’ll want to evaluate your own level of saving. If you’re matching them without even thinking about it, this group could be inadvertently affecting your savings.
- You Match Their Career Ambitions: Surrounding yourself with people who are highly ambitious could have a net positive effect on your own level of ambition. When you apply ambition to your career, chances are you’ll increase your wealth with salary increases, promotions, or perhaps entrepreneurial endeavors.
Building wealth is key to ensuring a secure financial future. You should closely evaluate not only the five people you spend the most time with, but everyone you spend a significant amount of time with. While it’s great to surround yourself with those that have positive financial habits, ensuring that your own habits are positive regardless is of great importance.
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