Sharing a post from the archives today. I was reminded of it when a friend recently told me she was dealing with some really unsavory “friends” online and she had to do a cleanse of her so-called friends online. Could you benefit from cleansing some of these people from your life?
Growing up, my parents would steer me away from friends who had undesirable behavior. Now that I’m a mom, I find myself doing the same thing with my children. Why? Today’s lesson is a simple one… you are the company you keep.
- If you surround yourself with people of good reputation, you will be viewed positively.
- If you associate with accomplished professionals, you will pick up on what makes them successful.
- If you affiliate with people who have good values, you will be perceived in the same light.
It frustrates me to see people who surround themselves with people of questionable character. If you align yourself with people who are arrogant, rude, negative, bossy, demeaning or unmotivated you will be perceived similarly. That is a FACT.
To bring some social media perspective to this, it also applies to your online relationships. Late night host Jimmy Kimmel recently started a campaign for National Unfriend Day. While I’m confident that the friends I keep online reflect the quality of people I associate with, I’m thinking this could be a good time for anyone who uses social media to take a hard look at the company they keep.
So, take a good look in the mirror today. Then, take a look at your contacts online and in your day-to-day life. If there are people of questionable character, now is your chance to unfollow, unfriend, or dis-associate from them. You don’t have to associate with negativity. After all, you ARE the company you keep.
4 Comments
Love the title. This is on point. I just published an article “0 to 100” on CostofWork, I tried to put the HR and Management side first but it was inspired by some questionable online friendships….I’m over the negativity and bitterness.
Thanks for sharing Trish!
@Chris- Thanks for the comment. It’s one of those lessons you have to learn pretty early on when using social media. Most people I’ve encountered have been who they say they are, thus turned into friends. Several have burned me though, so always good to go through the list and ensure that I’m spending time and energy on the good ones.
Hope I make the cut!
@Steve- Pretty sure since you’re my HR Happy Hour co-host you’ll make the cut. LOL