Woman On Fire Friday Five: Who's Your "Ride or Die"?

Woman On Fire Radio

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said that “we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with”. When it comes to our relationships, we are influenced, like it or not, by the people we surround ourselves with. And this is everything, our thinking, the decisions that we make, even the way that we feel about ourselves.

But, I’ve also learned that this average should include the people who spend time in our mind whether it is the coworker who steals our ideas during every single team meeting or the ex who just doesn’t seem to understand what “it’s over” means. All of these people, like it or not, influence us in one way or another.

But wait, there’s more! It doesn’t stop there, social media has opened this influence on a whole new level as we are influenced by people we’ve never even met – entertainers, politicians, podcasters and the like – and their influence changes our perception and our stories.

These people, in one form or another, become a part of our “stories” and while it is ideal to be surrounded by positive people who bring you up and have your back, there will be detractors and distractors. The key is knowing where to put them.

As Research Professor and Ted Talk Phenomenon Brene Brown says “we share with people who’ve earned the right to hear our stories”. We get to decide! These detractors and distractors haven’t earned the right to take up this space, to be a part of our stories so we must feel free to revoke their privilege.

So, who is in your “ride or die” community?