Our habits may be based on our core principles, but the surrounding elements will often change them on daily basis. Be it frugality, way of life or our morals, people around us slowly change our behaviors in a big way.
When we were young, our parents help shape our values by setting examples. Once school started, we start learning from our friends and classmates. Then as we grow older, the sums of our experiences act as the ultimate trial and error experiment that forms our habits.
• Do you have spending problems that cannot seem to be controlled?
• Are you always in a rut and can’t seem to be able to get out?
• Do you want to increase your motivation to do better?
If you want to break your bad habits, you should surround yourself with people who don’t have that habit in question.
My spending buddy
One of our friends came to visit us for a few days and let me tell you why he’s special. Every time he comes over, both of us end up buying something we otherwise wouldn’t have bought. There’s a tiny portion of peer pressure involved, but it’s mostly because we fuel each other’s enthusiasm when we talk about our shopping wish list. We seem to like the same stuff, and we get excited every time we discuss why we should make another purchase. We laugh about it, because the stuff we buy are affordable but you can see how it could potentially get out of control.
Mentoring without Knowledge
There are a few people I always have lunch with. I cherish their friendship, but more importantly, they unknowingly helped build the foundation that shaped the success I’ve accomplished to date. There’s no specific examples, but the questions they ask, the way they act and the attitude they portray all stimulate my mind and improve me in every way.
The frugality in me
If my parents never cared about money, it would be very difficult for me to develop my frugal habits. If Emma thinks of nothing but the next handbag she wants to buy, it will tempt me to buy everything I ever wanted without regard to finances as well.
What I’m trying to say
The people closest to you will always affect how you think and act. If you want to save money, hanging around the wealthy won’t help. If you want to climb up the corporate ladder, start communicating with upper management more often. If you want to have a better relationship, make friends with people who seem to be loved by everyone around them.
Our behaviours are shaped by people we are close to. The good news is that there’s always ways to improve. Evaluate, come up with a plan and take action. It works every time.
