July 2024 - Companions Determine Destinations
"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but the companion of fools shall be destroyed." (Proverbs 13:20) The definition of a companion is a person with whom one spends a lot of time or with whom one travels. If a companion is a person, then it can also be a character. So who are your companions? Who or what are you constantly with? Friends, books, movies, music, TV, video games... we spend our entire life surrounded by people, whether they are living or fictional. So who are you surrounding yourself with?
1. Elimination: Removing the wrong companions from your life is the first step to becoming wise. If you have a choice between candy or fruit, nine times out of ten you will choose the candy. However, if you remove the candy option altogether, you will quickly learn to love the healthier option. So maybe its a friend, maybe a collection of books, maybe certain types of video games, whatever it is, you need to remove it from your life. No book is worth destroying your life for; and harsh as it may sound, neither is a friend. Movies, video games, and music, are also influencing you in a certain direction. Do you want to remain sensitive to the hurts of others? Stop playing video games in which you are constantly killing; it may be acting, but your mind does not know the difference between imagination and reality. Music is constantly influencing your attitude: try listening to a sad song, then listening to an upbeat happy one, to see how quickly your attitude changes. It takes very little to shift your attitude: so be very careful what you allow to enter your eyes and ears.
2. Integration: Adding the right companions is your second step. Where do you want to be 10-20 years from now? Who will help you to get there? Michael Mogill said, "Show me your habits and I'll show you your future." Life is simply a compilation of little moments; so each choice you make, no matter how small, is a step towards your future. So who will help you to walk in the direction you would like to end up? Is there someone you know who has already made it to your chosen destination? Make friends with them and pick their brain; seek their counsel. Asking someone who has already walked the path you want to take is a great way to learn how to avoid the pitfalls. If you aren't able to make friends with them, read any books they may have written. A book is the author's advice to anyone willing to listen. Find topics, movies, music, anything that you love to do and that walks you in the right direction, and keep a list of them readily available. So often we choose the bad out of default. So keep the good options ready to hand, and make the bad a project just to access. You will find yourself much more likely to make the right choice.
3. Destination: If you stand at the end of your life and look back, who do you see walking beside you step for step? Those are the people that will shape your life. Charles F. Kettering said, "We should all be concerned about the future because we will have to spend the rest of our lives there." Friends will make or break you: what friendships should you be investing in, and what friendship should you be letting go? "Associate with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation: for it is better to be alone than in bad company." George Washington
"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but the companion of fools shall be destroyed." (Proverbs 13:20)
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