Rich people choose friends differently. One of the distinctive characteristics of rich and successful people is their ability to free themselves in some way from the human tendency to unconsciously forge relationships with others.
Thomas C. Corley interviewed 177 self-made millionaires over five years, long before they got rich. These people made a conscious and intentional effort to forge relationships with people who aspired to be successful people.
The average person unconsciously chooses their friends, their boss, their spouse, or their partner. Unknowingly, they search for people they are comfortable with and then end up surrounded by similar people. All of their associations have similar habits, similar mental perspectives, a similar work ethic, and many other shared traits.
But, there is no need to blindly forge the relationships that drag you down in life. You can choose those relationships that will elevate you. You can choose to be rich by choosing who you associate with. However, in order for you to know who to partner with, you must first know what to look for.
Rich people choose friends differently
These are the traits for this type of friendship:
- Good habits.
- Positive mental outlook.
- Integrity.
- Encouraging attitude.
- Fanatical loyalty.
- Financial stability.
- Hard work ethic.
- Individual responsibility.
- Strong willpower and discipline.
- Passion and enthusiasm.
- Gratitude.
But what about the traits to avoid? People who tend to build toxic relationships tend to have the opposite characteristics of those mentioned above. For example, bad habits, a negative outlook, a victim mindset, and a tendency to blame others for things that go wrong.
When you realize the traits of these two disparate groups, open your eyes. You start to see the advantages and disadvantages of each individual with whom you come into contact. This makes it easy to decide which relationships to grow and which ones to avoid.
Rich relationships infect you with their good habits, positive mindset, and enthusiasm. They open closed doors for you. You will thus find that the circumstances of your life improve as you spend more time in them.