Psychology is insane in that our lives are drastically impacted by who we hang out with and what we choose to focus on.
The Marshmellow experiment is simple. A child is left in a room with a marshmellow and is told he can either eat it now or wait 15 minutes, when he would be given two. The result showed that kids who willfully delay gratification usually win big in life.
That’s because the same kids who wait for the bigger prize grow up to be the people who fund their retirement accounts, care for their bodies, and invest heavily in themselves.
Also, the people around us are often the only barricades keeping us from our goals. When an elephant is small, it’s tied to a stake in the ground. The animal tries to escape, but fails. Years later, although the elephant is big enough to rip out the stake, he won’t. Because he doesn’t think he can.
In the same way, negative and toxic people can be detrimental to our growth. Your thinking is your worst enemy, and that can be augmented by others telling you that you can’t reach your goals. But we can do whatever we focus on and measure.
On the other hand, when you’re surrounded by incredible people, you will sharpen your skills and become better.
Immersing yourself in anything is a surefire method of changing yourself. Whether you’re hanging out with new people who are focused on similar things, or you’re binge-listening to financial podcasts, you will begin to think differently.
When people target a goal they include a plan to get there. You have to sacrifice instant gratification and work toward goals such as financial stability and a certain fitness level.