Associations: Building Your Inner Circle

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. ­– Proverbs  

 It seems natural to us to have great associations. “After all,” we say to ourselves, “I have had splendid friends all these years.” In truth, leaving your associations to chance is the biggest mistake you will ever make. This is so because although you can choose your associations you cannot choose the consequences of your choice.

It is important to note that not all unneeded association is necessarily evil, at least from a moral point of view. A medical doctor, for example, with the intention of being the best in his field should not have missionaries as the most important part of his inner circle. He should build an inner circle of like-minds. Missionaries aren’t a moral evil but may amount to career evil.

There are some factors that influence the building up of inner circle associations. The first is your association’s value system. It is very important you critically consider the values of the person coming into your circle. The person must share similar values as you. Your values are the cumulative of your ideas and beliefs. This includes every opinion you hold about life. If you open the way for folks with completely contrary values from you, it will set you up for failure.

Second you should build an inner circle of folks who believe in you and your dreams. The following cannot be overstated: Do not surround yourself with people that do not believe in you. If you overlook this you will certainly not attain your goals. Sometimes we tell ourselves that we would keep the people close so that we can prove them wrong but how many times have you seen that happen?

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Finally, and in sequel to the people who believe in you, your inner circle should be made up of people who would not let you rest until they see you attain your goal. Your inner circle associations must be people who would lose sleep for your dreams. Then – and only then – can you boldly say that you have met a friend who sticks closer than a brother.