Two thoughts:
A person who only thinks of themselves first is a dangerous person to be friends with. They will take and never give in return. Life is about their desires even if it hurts others.
A person who always puts other people first will have a full schedule but an empty life and most likely an empty wallet. They have few real friends but tons of people who will ask for favors.
Balance is about being in the middle.
If you want to be a success in business or in life you need to find balance.
I am lucky enough to have met some pretty amazing people. The ones that I see truly succeed are those who are generous with their time yet also will not waste it. They also don’t let people take advantage of their generosity. Most of these people become long term friends. I help them and they help me. I confide in them and they confide in me. We have a level of mutual respect.
When I see people fail in business or in life it is usually easy to discover why. It comes down to a few simple things that they have in common.
1 They associate with people who drag them down. You can’t have a great life and hang around with people who have low standards. If your core circle of friends are poor, drunk and lazy… guess how you will end up. If you want to succeed you need to surround yourself with success. Associate with those who are how you want to be.
2 They only think about today and what desires they have at that moment. If they want a car they buy it without thinking about if they can afford it 5 years from now. If they want a dog they get it without thinking about the next 13 years of responsibility. They never consider the long term consequences of what they are doing. Knowing how your decisions will play out into the next week or the next few years will help you avoid surprises.
3 They don’t judge others. They accept behaviors from those around them that are destructive. They make excuses for those behaviors and even support them. You need to judge who you have in your life and who you want to steer clear of.
4 They only see what they want without noticing how it affects those around them. If they want what you want they will take it without remorse. They will justify why it is okay that they took it. Life is all about them even if it hurts others. This results in them not being trusted. Thinking of how your decisions affect those around you is essential. If you don’t you will leave a trail of collateral damage.
5 They have a mindset of being a victim. No matter what happens to them it will be someone else’s fault. It will never be because of their behavior. Taking responsibility for where you are in life is a key to making the changes you need to make in order to succeed.
If you have people around you who have any or all of these qualities I suggest you put some distance between you and them even if they are your friends.
If you have any of these qualities now is the time to make the changes to finally get the success you desire before you damage your friends.
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