Show me Your Friends… I’ll Show you Your Future

Growing up, my family moved a lot. As the son of a Senior Chief in the Navy, you had to get used to the concept of change. Specifically, we moved from Jackson, Mi –> Orlando, Fl –> Jacksonville, Fl –> Cuba –> Puerto Rico –> US Virgin Islands and then back to Jacksonville where my father retired from the Navy. This was all in the time span from elementary to middle school.

There are a lot of people that see change as a negative, especially if that means uprooting your family and moving. For us, it was just a part of the job. As we moved from new environment to new environment, it became an essential skill to meet and befriend new people. As a kid, I never understood why my parents took such an interest in meeting my friends, getting to really know them and their families. I assumed it was their way of being too involved.

What I learned through experience was quite the opposite. Our friends play a significant role in our foundation – who we are as people. My parents were involved because they understood the influence friends can have and they wanted me surrounded by people who would make me better, not bring me down.

As a Professional, I challenge you that if you show me your friends – I can show you your future. Who do you surround yourself with? The negative majority or the positive minority? Are your friends grinders – or do they look for the easy way out? Are your friends positive influences on your career, encouraging you and your professional development – or are they drawing your attention away distracting you from your personal and career goals?

With our access to technology greater now than at any time in our history, we have the ability to keep friends close even when they are miles apart. It takes energy and effort to continue to keep friendships close. Hank Harrawood, Director of Compliance at UNC Charlotte, is the benchmark on this. I’ll routinely get texts or calls from Hank – just checking in, seeing if I need anything. This type of effort is needed to grow relationships and keeps bonds tight. He happens to also be one of the brightest ‘compliance’ minds in the country and should be on everyone’s short list of, “who would I hire when I become an AD one day…”.

Our friends are our foundation. Take stock of those around you. Sometimes in order to grow, we have to purge those from around us who aren’t of the same vision or mindset.

If you are interested in knowing my friends and trying to foresee my future… Just text me 📲. I’ll even introduce you to them. 307-223-6429. We grow together, or we fail together. .