Tag Archives: networking

You are not the Sum or Average of Anyone

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I recently came across some advice (mainly on health and motivational articles) which is growing in popularity but somehow does not make any sense to  me.

The advice is :

“You are the average of the 5 people you hang out with”.

Another variant is “you are the sum of the 5 people you hangout with”.Among other things,you can conclude that Maths is not the strongpoint of the people who propagate the above stated views.Many people mistake these statements for truisms.

A normal person who works 8-9 hours a day (which is a huge chunk out of a 24 hr day) may have colleagues with varied tastes and backgrounds, which should not necessarily divert one’s focus.

Being exposed to a lot of people expands our perspective and increases our inventory of ideas.

That being said,you should  limit interaction with time wasters,non-risk takers,naysayers…just about anyone who drains your resources and makes you lose sight of your goals.

Jesus Christ who had 12 disciples had to face a lot of distrust and negativity while propagating his message of forgiveness and eternal love.He was certainly not the sum/average of anyone.

Bill Gates met his best friend and mentor Warren Buffet at the age of 36.He did not have a set social circle that contributed to his exponential growth.

You don’t have to limit your social contacts to a number.Some people have just 2 friends who mean the world to them and they are happy about that.It all boils down to what you want.

So Reach out and make new connections,read more books and be open to new experiences;Your experiences will shape your mindset and ultimately your life.

Further Reading:

You’re The Average Of The Five People You Spend The Most Time With

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3 “Non-Health” Reasons to go to the Gym

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“I am going to the gym.”—This statement is generally made by puny guys (hoping to build 10 pounds of muscle) or overweight people ( hoping to lose 20 pounds of fat) or someone who is just keen on “being healthy”.

Everyone associates the gym as merely a place of exercise.I have outlined below 3 reasons that are added benefits of hitting the gym. (FYI,”hitting the gym” is a violently cool way of saying “going to the gym”.):–

1. Expand your Network

People who generally care about their health are positive people who are keen on introducing changes to their body and are open to experimentation .Also,most people who exercise like to be accountable for their results by working with a partner or a coach.If you are looking for ways to get in touch with positive,confident people who are open to risk-taking(calculated risks),the gym is one such place.

2 .Learn about Resilience

To get noticeable results in the gym,you need to be resilient.A majority of people go through the motions or drop out after a few weeks because they are not able to persevere.Learning to be consistent in spite of lack of noticeable results (oh yeah,you may get a ton of bad advice in some gyms,so learn to ignore the chatter ) is something that takes a truly strong mind to master.Most people who are able to achieve their fitness goals have the confidence to achieve things in their personal/professional life as well.

3.Expand your perspective

You will get to experience firsthand ,the people who take shortcuts (steroid usage) ,people who dream and share their dreams about their aspirations and learn from others’ mistakes.Sometimes workout techniques that you thought were rock solid might not work out for someone else.Coming into contact with people who are undergoing therapy for conditions like muscle atrophy can make you help appreciate your lot in life.

A gym experience is a microcosm of Life itself.