THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR FRIENDS

We constantly speak of the power of relationships.  As coach, I have always had my own "Circle of Influence" -- people who believe in me and are there to help me grow.  I think it is important for our student- athletes to also understand the importance of who they associate with and how it makes a tremendous difference in who they are and who they become.

The following comes from "Talent Is Never Enough" by John Maxwell:

1. Identify the Most Important People in Your Life
Who are the significant people in your life, the people you spend the most time with, the people whose opinions mean the most to you!  Those people are your greatest influences.  You need to identify who they are before you can access how they are influencing your talent.

2. Assess Whether They are Influencing You in the Right Direction
Once you have identified the people who are influencing you, you would be wise to discern how they are influencing you. Key questions include:

What does he think of me? Novelist Mark Twain advised "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambition."

How does he or she behave toward me in difficult times?  There's an old saying, "In prosperity our friends know us.  In adversity we know our friends."

What does he bring out of me? British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli observed, "The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but reveal to him his own."

3. If Your Friends Aren't Friends, Then Make New Friends
If the people close to you are dragging you down, then it may be time to make some changes.  Speaker Joe Larson remarked, "My friends didn't believe that I could be come a successful speaker.  So I did something about it.  I went out and found me some new friends."