Who Are Your Friends?

Hello Friends,

Hope all is well. Todays quote was sent to me by sister. (Thanks Sis) By the way, if anyone else has a good quote, feel free to share it with the rest of us.

"When the character of a man is not clear, look at his friends." (Abraham Lincoln)

My parents always taught me to be careful how I presented myself. Before I would leave the house my parents would always say, "Remember what your last name is." I still think about it every time I leave the house. They were very careful with who I was allowed to associate with.

Society tends to clump us into groups. Once you are labeled, it is hard to shake it, especially if it is negative. You could be the best person in the whole world for your whole life and then you mess up once, everyone forgets about the person you were and now you're reputation is tainted.

My parents concern was that I could be doing everything right, but because I may be hanging with a "bad crowd", I too would be look at in the same way. I was taught to always befriend people that have goals and are trying to do the right thing. This does two things. First, if you associate with good people, like we said before, you get labeled a good person. Second, you are able to share ideas and attract good opportunities to you. If you are with the wrong crowd, you definitely attract negative situations.

It is very hard to change how people view you once you've established a reputation. In an extreme case, we can look at convicted felons. Even if an inmate finish his time and maintains a good track record, upon release, they have a hard time readapting to society. Every time they fill out a job application they have to disclose that they had served time. Very few people are willing to ignore the fact that they were in jail, and give them a second chance.

Having good friends keeps you focus. You talk about positive things. Help each other out in need. It's a mazing how fast fake friends disappear when times get tough. Good friends stick with you no matter what. You will attract more good people into your life which will make your experiences more enjoyable. So make sure your friends are a reflection of how you want to be perceived.

Thanks for listening.