You are what you meet.

We are innately social beings. We need one another to survive and thrive – even in this crazy world of lockdowns and social-distancing. And it’s the people you meet along the planned and unplanned pathway of life who impact you the most.

Yes, there are insightful and charismatic leaders, those shifting and challenging the paradigms from afar, literature that inspires, BUT those directly in your sphere are the ones who shape your world and ultimately you. This touches, of course, on the long-standing nature vs nurture debate, but I want to extend it further to peers, colleagues and friends.

Friends come and go, and sometimes stay. Each are a reflection of your values, questions, experiences and making sense of your world and environment. They listen, correct, reassure, inform, push and prod – and you do the same for them. As fixed as you might think you are with your choices and ideas, their very presence expands you (in small and sometimes major ways). The impact they have on who and what you are is immeasurable.

So, reach out, be open, use your instincts (learnt or inbuilt), and select wisely, because you are what you meet (and then hang out with).