One of my all-time favorite inspirational speakers is Jim Rohn. I had the privilege of meeting him in 1991 and again in 1994. One of Jim’s famous quotes is,
“If you ignore your garden the weeds will take over.”
How often in life do we fail to recognize and confront the weeds in our life? It’s possible we are afraid to confront the weeds because of fear. Maybe it’s the fear of the unknown, fear of what others might think, or even fear of rejection.
Jim would often ask the following three major questions:
- Who am I around?
- What effect are they having?
- Is that acceptable?
It is so easy to let the wrong people or influences enter into our lives.
It’s so subtle. Pretty soon, we end up where we don’t want to be. It is important that we evaluate our associations on regular basis. What do they have us thinking, doing, believing, and becoming? And is that okay?
Here is another great quote from Jim:
“Those who can reach us and affect us on a daily basis should inspire us, not spread the seeds of doubt and dissent with their pessimism, complaining, and ridicule of others. Maintaining a positive attitude in the face of life’s challenges is difficult enough without this kind of influence in our lives.”
Over the past few years, I have allowed a couple of relationships into my life that were having a negative impact on me and my results. Some of those relationships I have had to eliminate. With others, I have had to limit my association with them. I know that may seem insensitive or really cold-hearted. If I want a better future, I must distance myself from negative influences. The price I will pay in the long-run is too big, and I am not willing to pay that price.
What weeds do you have in your life that need to be rooted out and thrown in the fire?
You will only blossom to your full potential based on whom you associate with. Did you know that if you plant a tree inside, its growth is limited by the height of the ceiling? Did you also know that if you plant the tree outside, it will grow as high as it can?
What weeds do you need to pull out of your life that are stunting your growth?