48 Laws Of Power: Law 10: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky People

Jim Rohn said it best:

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Be very careful in selecting the people you spend time with in every area of your life. When it comes to power, your associations are critical.

This law works like osmosis — you will absorb the good and the bad of all the people around you without even knowing. It’s almost like an infection — you have to quarantine yourself against the negative ones.

When I went to ​Unleash the Power Within, a live event with Tony Robbins, he taught us something really powerful. He said:

“If you want to truly excel in any area of life, if you want to compress decades of learning into days, this is the most potent strategy that’s out there: ​associate with those who are playing at a higher level than you are. Spend time with them. Learn from them. Association with them will force you to subconsciously play at a higher level.” 

Similarly, in the book ​The Compound Effect,​ Darren Hardy talks about the idea that the effect of your influencers will keep on compounding over time. Your influencers are critical for your long-term success or your long-term demise.

So take stock of your influencers. Be very picky in whom you spend time with. Avoid the negative people in your life.