Maybe you get tired of me saying this, but I lived a blessed life.  I have an amazing family, and a group of friends and business associates who encourage and inspire me everyday.  Jim Rohn was known for saying, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” There may be some debate in that, but I remember the first time I heard this quote–it absolutely resonated with me and I instantly became more aware of my friends and business associates.  I finally recognized that who I was hanging out with would eventually have an impact on who I would become.  It wasn’t just the time I spent with my closest friends that I began to scrutinize, but even the amount of time and types of people I chose to have brief encounters with for coffee, lunch or business meetings.

Since I’ve put boundaries around my self and my time, I’ve found virtually every area of my life to have simplified, improved and become more harmonious.  One of the great people I’ve chosen to spend more time with this past year is my friend Brian Goodell.  We met at a conference last year, and I was immediately drawn to his humble, approachable, positive, transparent, self-confident nature.  I seem to like these qualities in people, and I liked Brian immediately.

As it turns out, Brian has an amazing back story that I’d encourage you to learn more about (watch this video).  I’ll plant the seed with this–he has an inspiring come-from-behind story, winning two Olympic Gold Medals in 1976 in swimming, has had a successful entrepreneurial career, and is a highly requested speaker and success coach for athletes and business folk (check out his website here, and his slideshow here).  During one of our lunches this past week, we were discussing the speaking engagements we have on our calendars, leadership practices we’ve witnessed (good and bad ones), the importance of positive mental imagery and hard work, how we could assist each other towards meeting our goals, and diets (we were eating sushi).  As I returned to my office from lunch, I realized that I always leave my chats with Brian feeling inspired, uplifted, and blessed.  Shouldn’t every day, and every interaction be like this?

We also chatted briefly about Brian’s ‘76 Olympic teammate, Gold Medal decathlete Bruce Jenner--what a hero he became to the nation.  I had to chuckle though, because I was reminded of the classic John Belushi SNL skit, Little Chocolate Donuts. You’ll grin just watching this, but take particular notice of the lit cigarette at the end.

Who do you want to become, and who are you spending time with?