Why the quality of the people you surround with matters ?

J.K Rowling once said, " The choices we make, define the people we are." We chose our hairstyles, our books, our bags, our outfits, in these endless choices that we make we tend to ignore the most important choice to chose the people we surround ourselves with.

Why is it important to surround yourself with the right people? Who are these right people? Well, These people can be your family, people who make you laugh, people who inspire you, criticize you, motivate you, etc

But before we chose we need to understand what do we want? I was always open to possibilities from school days. I wasn't erudite or completely aware or well informed but I also knew there is something larger out there which I am not completely aware of. Hence, my first step in surrounding myself with quality people started with connecting with my seniors. I have always been close to my seniors right from my school days. Befriending my seniors would give me a basic idea about how the academic year would go about and therefore it helped me to be mentally prepared.

Secondly, I tried to connect with people whom I found extremely intelligent. It helped me to debate, exchange ideas and also helped me to widen my perspective. I did attempt to surround myself with my favorite authors by reading their books, watching their interviews on YouTube.

In this age of social media, it is imperative to have people at times to motivate you but at the same time, one must not look for any emotional dependency. It is imperative for us to surround ourselves with people who bring the best in us. Who help us to be open to endless possibilities. Who appreciate and accept us for who we are, who challenge us to push ourselves ahead, people who help us to reflect.  Our family, our friends are the greatest influences on this journey called Life and it is important to choose wisely the people you surround with but at the same time not completely rely on them.

Hence, here I conclude with the lines of Oprah Winfrey " Surround yourself with people who are only going to lift you higher."

Thank-you!

YJ Rahul Bagwe