If you have been paying attention these past couple of years, you already know that not everybody you meet is a trusting, honest, and well-meaning soul. In fact, there are a number of people who feel it is their role in life to take advantage of others. They are good at fooling you. They actually enjoy being deceitful, and their only concern is “what’s in it for me?” Be cautious of who you trust. Don’t let your guard down too quickly.
You also know that not everybody in your life is the same as everybody else in your life. Some people seem to have it together, while other people run around as if their heads are cut off. Some are more serious than others, and some have a better sense of humor than others. Some feel that life is unfair, while others find ways to enjoy the journey no matter how steep the climb. Some resemble you in many ways, while others couldn’t be more different.
The key is to surround yourself with good people who share the same moral make-up as you. I’m not talking about color, and I am not talking about religion. I’m talking about mental and emotional intelligence. I am talking about character.
Remember the sage advice our parents gave us years ago, which we probably discounted heavily. “You will be judged by the company you keep.” No truer words were ever spoken. Likewise, “You will be judged by the caliber of your clients.” Whether this is good or bad, it happens to be the truth.
My advice to you is not to expect everybody to think like you do. Why? Because they won’t. Once you understand this, you will be able to get along better with others. Similar to the lesson I teach in my sales classes, it makes good sense to “target” your specific audience, i.e. the people you want to make up your personal “posse.” As for the others, allow them to come and go.
There is a huge time-wasting mistake lurking out there in the bushes. The worst decision you could make moving forward is to select only those people who think exactly like you do. That would be boring and would negatively affect any chance of learning new and exciting ways to do things. Hanging with more “yous” would definitely put a damper on your growth potential.
Of course, you will want to emulate honesty, tenacity, and an appreciation for hard work. After that, you must be the judge.
Mike Marchev is always looking for a few more proactive travel professionals to join his Sales and Marketing Club, mike@mikemarchev.com.
*** You want more to think about? Check out my weekly podcast (Miked Up Marchev). Also listed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, and iHeartRadio.
