Talk dreams, not drama…who are you wasting your time with?

Proximity is power. Who you surround yourself with sets the ceiling on your own performance. Winners don't randomly become successful — they engineer the right circle.

If you want to know where your life is heading, take a hard look at the people you spend the most time with, it might be an old cliché, but its 100% true! Are they ambitious? Are they hungry? Are they working on something that matters? Or are they forever whining, gossiping about people, or counting down to their next Friday pint?

Successful people don’t waste time on petty talk. They don’t sit around debating football scores or moaning about their circumstances, because it adds no value. They’re too busy discussing ideas, opportunities, investments, next moves. They challenge each other. They hold each other accountable. And they help each other level up because when you’re in the right group there’s an energy in the air, it’s like magic, and if they can help, they will.

Mediocre people talk about other people and about things. Successful people talk about the future. If your inner circle isn’t pushing you forward, it’s holding you back. There is no neutral. You’re either growing or decaying — and who you spend your time with determines which direction you’re going.

I’ve been around enough high performers to know this: winners surround themselves with other winners. Not by accident. On purpose. They curate who’s in their space. Because proximity is power. You start thinking differently when the people around you are playing at a higher level. You absorb it. You stretch to keep up. You sharpen your edge.

But if your circle’s full of complainers, victims, or low-effort time-wasters? That’s toxic, and it spreads through you and your mindset. Suddenly you’re tolerating mediocrity. You’re making excuses. You’re thinking small. You’re soaking up all their bullshit. And eventually, you become like them.

I don’t spend my life surrounded by negativity and small-mindedness, I only want to be in the rooms where we’re talking about the future, about the big challenges, and our plans to conquer them. It’s not about being around “like-minded” people, but smart-minded people, because that’s where the magic happens, and where negativity, jealousy, and bitterness is left at the door.

Those people that just distract and drain you, there’s an easy fix…get rid of them, isolate yourself from the environment that holds you back. But be careful, they’ll try to slip back in, so fortify your new environment with better people, people that’ll keep you focused on the things that matter, because environment is stronger than will, and it works both ways.

So if you’re serious about growth take a look around you. Who do you talk to every day? Are they ambitious? Do they move you towards your goals, or keep you from them? Cut the dead weight; friends, family, no matter who it is. That’s not harsh - it’s necessary.

If you’re content where you are, happy to stay the same, and more interested in talking about other people than building something of your own — that’s your choice. Stay comfortable. Stay stagnant. But that life’s not for me. I’m wired for growth, for challenge, for forward momentum. I’m not here to coast — I’m here to climb. And I keep a circle around me that fuels that fire, that supports my ambition, holds me accountable, and pushes me higher. We don’t waste time on gossip — we’re too busy planning what’s next.