The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” This quote, from motivational speaker Jim Rohn has made the rounds in the world of self-improvement for years, and it’s worth taking a moment to consider, because it has a great deal of truth imbedded in it.

The way we think and view the world is shaped by what we read, hear, watch, and interact with. Our attitudes rise or sink to the level of the folks we associate with.

This is an unconscious drift that is built into people as a byproduct of being social creatures. We naturally want to identify with the folks a...