My dad told me when I was younger that he would like to meet my 5 closest friends or associates I had in high school. He said that he can tell my personality and who I was by the 5 closest people I associated with. And if you’ve taken any type of motivational, personal development, or success course you’ll note they mentioned how the people you spend the most amount of time with are a direct reflection of who you are. Just reflect for a moment if you will and think about the 5 people you associate with most. Think about what their income levels are; think about their morality, their integrity, and you will see it closely resembles yours.

This is why it is important to monitor hanging around bad people. The people we choose to be around influence our lives at the alpha or sub-conscious level and we may think we are different in ways; but at the core we are so similar. I never forget someone reminding me of this a few years back when I was in some financial struggles in life. I jotted down the 5 people I associated with most; two of them were on welfare programs and the other 2 were working jobs that just paid enough to put peanut butter on their sandwiches.

I’m not saying this to make fun of them; because I was in the same boat. I realized that my association level of friends was low and I had to change it. I wanted more money; so I had to find friends and associates that were making the income I wanted to make and surround myself with them on a daily basis. This took, to a certain degree, disappearing from some of my regular friends, and not reporting or replying to them to be sure to keep the distance. I began to only speak with people who not only made a six-figure plus income but had the mentality to get more and share their wealth.

I began to meet with people like Robert Greene, Curtis Jackson, Bill Zanker, Donald Trump, Richard Koch, Tim Ferriss, Rod Stinson, Due Daniels, and any other guy or gal that were financially and mentally in or going in the direction I wanted to go in. You may wonder how I got to meet with these high profile guys. It took much pleading but I will tell you how to do it if you send me an email.

Hanging around bad people will make you bad because we as people have to fit in. We love fitting into a group; if you make an association with a group, you mind ultimately wants to fit in or fit out (get out). When you meet people and you hate cigarette smoke, and you see someone who smokes; no matter how great their personality is, you automatically tend to stay away from them because you don’t smoke and you strongly dislike it. Celebs that keep bad company stay in the news for bad things and it is not that they are bad people; they have just decided to make league with bad people. Watch who you’re around and be sure you love and appreciate who they are as an individual because it will leak out and bleed into your life… for good or for bad.

Koko Ishe