Introduction: The Power of Your Circle
Have you ever thought about how being around energetic, driven individuals lifts your performance? Or perhaps you felt the opposite – unmotivated, stagnant, underperforming because of the people you were spending time with. These influences are not merely perceptions – the people surrounding you do have a significant impact on your performance and overall success.
This is precisely the reason why in this blog, I want to discuss energy – both physical and digital environments – and how they impact your mindset, work ethic, and success. I will present one powerful study on the influence of proximity that highlights the essence of your circle. In addition, I will elaborate on why your physical environment is equally, if not more, important than your online one. Let’s jump in and understand how you can leverage this information to improve your life.
The Power of Proximity: How Your Surroundings Impact Your Performance
A fascinating study discovered that the physical proximity to a top performer has an impact on your individual performance levels.
If you are within 25 feet of a top performer, your performance can increase by 15%. Not advancing or becoming smarter, just benefiting from the energy surrounding them.
Imagine this: You’re earning $100,000 per year, and by simply sitting near someone who is an expert or top performer in your field, you could experience a 15% boost in your performance, making it feel as if you’re earning $115,000 a year. That’s the power of proximity.
This is all about the energetic shift that occurs in the presence of exceptional high achievers. Their energy becomes contagious and offers drive and motivation which makes one more likely to become productive.
Why Proximity Matters
Motivational energy is contagious, and no one understands this quite like top performers. Their confidence, determination, and overall passion for the work they do instills a sense of positivity in their surroundings and as a result gives a push and reasons for those around them to work harder.
This is the reason why successful individuals often emphasize the importance of their inner circle—friends, mentors, and colleagues that motivate them on a deeper level. When you position yourself in such an environment, you are indeed bound to prosper. Remember, you are the average of the five people you spend most of your time with. If these individuals are high achievers, then you will be one too.
The Flip Side: The Negative Impact of Poor Performers
Just as placing yourself close to high performers has a powerful effect, the opposite can also be true to a degree. If you are within 25 feet of a poor performer, your own performance drops by 30 percent. That’s a staggering increase in productivity loss.
You tend to wonder how this is possible, especially if you are putting in work, right? The answer lies in the fact that we are attempting to fight an invisible force— our surroundings. All of us are looking for some form of motivation to keep pushing forward. If, on the other hand, you are surround by unmotivated people, habitual complainers or pessimists, you are bound to feel less motivated due to their influence.
Being around negative energy can impact us all. Just like being around positive, motivated people helps you thrive, being around people who don’t align with your objectives brings negativity into your life. This is more about the impact of environment than blaming anyone.
If you are surrounded by people with negative energy or a general sense of low enthusiasm, then you need to analyze the situation and consider changing the people you spend time with. The people you are trying to achieve goals with need to support you; otherwise, why remain in such a circle?
The Digital Environment: How Online Spaces Affect Your Mindset
Today, your environment is both physical and digital. Your online presence, which includes the people you follow, the posts you like as well as the videos you watch, impacts your mindset and motivation significantly.
For example, think of your social media feeds. Do they bring life, motivation and inspirational content from people? Or do they bring complaints, distractions and negativity? The online community that you interact with influences your attitude the same way people that you meet in person do.
Follow Positive Influencers
Being successful requires one to have a positive gold-driven attitude. Therefore, just like in the physical world, your digital environment impacts your success. Strive to engage with positive content that motivates you. Following these steps changes your attitude and focuses on personal and professional transformation.
For example, follow those who spearhead entrepreneurial ventures and motivated thought leaders and join communities to help you grow professionally. Local peers can only influence you a fraction as much as distant internet interactions can.
Stay Away from Negativity
Equally, try to stay clear from accounts or pages that add no value to your life and are simply negative. Social media can be powerful, but it can also work against you. Spending too much time on toxic platforms or engaging with negative people can harm your mental wellbeing. The effort you invest into online platforms will be reciprocated back to you.
If you notice that certain accounts and platforms are leading you into a demotivated or distracted state, restrict your exposure to them by unfollowing or muting them. Engage with platforms and people who promote your growth, learning, and improvement on a daily basis.
Surrounding Yourself with Positive, Hardworking People
From this analysis, one simple but vital is very clear: Your environment is fundamental to shaping the best version of yourself. Those around you, whether in person or virtually, are a key determinant to your performance, mindset, and progress in life. The basic inspiration you receive from motivated people is not meant to be short-lived, but rather, to help scaffold an ecosystem that encourages growth at all times.
Build a Positive, Supportive Network
Aiming for success? Here is a guide on how to set yourself up for success by surrounding yourself with people who:
- Bring about a positive change in your life by motivating you to do better.
- Expand your thought process by challenging your ideation.
- Keep you accountable for your goals and the steps you take to achieve them.
- Encourage you to soldier on when life throws challenges to uplift you when you need it most.
These people and many more can help you progress and elevate your personal and professional standards. Likewise, you should work towards becoming that person to someone else. You can serve as a guiding beacon to someone, becoming the sunlight that helps grow the culture of success your network needs.
Taking Action: How to Shift Your Circle for Success
If you’re not getting the energy you need from the people around you, it’s time to make a change. Start by:
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Evaluating your current relationships: Who are the people you spend the most time with? Are they helping you move forward or holding you back?
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Engaging with new people: Join communities, both online and offline, that align with your goals and values. Attend events, networking opportunities, and engage in discussions that inspire and challenge you.
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Limit negative influences: If there are people or spaces that bring you down, it’s okay to distance yourself. This doesn’t mean cutting people out entirely, but rather, choosing who you give your time and energy to.
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Create a positive routine: Make sure that your daily habits, whether physical or digital, align with your growth. Set aside time for learning, networking, and cultivating positive habits.
My Opinion | Your Environment is Key—Choose Wisely
In life, you’re always surrounded by circles—some beneficial and others detrimental. The relationships you have, whether personal or professional will determine your growth for the better or worse. If you choose to operate amongst motivated persones, your productivity levels will immensely improve.
Key Reminder: Your environment is powerful, thus your circles should be well thought out. Be it family, friends, colleagues, or people on the internet—they should provide you with positive energy. By improving your nearby digital and surrounding landscape, you can achieve more than what you had anticipated.
