You Are Who You Associate Yourself With.

Ever hear "you are what you eat?"

It can also be said that you are who you associate yourself with.

If you want to be successful, surround yourself with individuals who are working hard to be successful. I don't mean the "hustlers" or the "get rich or die trying" types. I mean the kind of people who immerse themselves in their work, their craft, their studies; the kind of people who genuinely enjoy learning, who have an open mind about everything, and who aren't concerned about whether they're perceived as being "cool" or "interesting" - they just are.

As Dr. Cristina Yang once said, "if you want crappy things to stop happening to you, then stop accepting crap and demand something more." If you're wondering why you can't drop a crappy habit, or why you can't stop dating crappy people, take a look around. Are the people you're hanging out with your people? Are they like-minded individuals with at least a semi semblance of direction?Are they looking out for you, or are they just looking out for themselves?

Being almost 25, it's safe to say that I've had to ask myself this many times. I've had to get out of toxic friendships in order to become the person I want to be. I'm still not at that point of "hello, dis is me, take it or leave it," because I'm constantly changing my goals. But I make it a point to try and surround myself with genuine, kind, hardworking, compassionate, loyal people. In turn, the universe has given me genuine, kind, hardworking, compassionate, loyal friends.

Ya feel me?