Intentionally or not, you absorb what’s around you. Just like the best way to learn a foreign language is to immerse yourself in a place that it’s spoken. It’s not just the words you are absorbing — you’re picking up the culture, the mannerisms, the texture… of what it means to speak the language.
We absorb automatically. What you give your attention to, and what you surround yourself becomes a part of who you are.
That’s why they say to surround yourself with people smarter than you, or that ‘you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with’. It goes deeper than that —
We are the sum of everything we surround ourselves with.
Even things we are against can be adopted with weak self-awareness and given enough time and the right pressures.
So the question is, what are you surrounding yourself with?
What are you focusing on?
Think of the things you read, watch, listen to. Think of the types of people that you come into contact with. Think of the actions, thoughts and beliefs you are living. Does your life match with the person you want to be?
Are you absorbing the right stuff? The stuff you want to be made of?
I’m not telling you to throw out violent games or get rid of your friends. We just need to think and remind ourselves every so often:
What am I absorbing? What am I letting into my life right now? Is this me, or something I don’t want?
STAY BOLD, Keep Pursuing,
— Josh Waggoner
