5 people… is it really that simple?

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn coined the phrase “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”

This is a great line and likely some real truth wrapped up in this statement.   If you surround yourself with people with a certain level of ambition it can be motivating and inspiring.  Sometimes you can be exposed to ideas you never thought were possible and encouraged to move forward. 

If you are surrounded by entrepreneurs with ideas about growth and business then you may be exposed to new ideas to grow your business.

Likewise, if you are surrounded by people focused on real estate then you may learn major tricks to grow your real estate portfolio.  

I think this principle can expanded from just the “average of the five people you spend the most time with” to “you are the average of all the people you spend time with and each category of life is influenced by the top five”.   Super wordy but you get the point.

Like all of you I wear many hats and fill many roles in my life.  

I am a Physician, Father, Son, friend, physician financial blogger, real estate investor, and teacher.

In each of these roles I have different circles and the people I surround myself with matter. They all influence my life, my goals and experiences.

I am grateful for the people in my life and aware of the benefits I receive from these connections.  I am also consciousness of the importance of maintaining these relationships. 

It can be tough maintaining relationships with our busy schedules and the distance that covid created but maintaining these bonds is crucial.

Family

For us, everything leads back to family. Everything that we do in our professional lives is designed to benefit our family.

We have even cut back on work hours now, even if it means delaying our “Financial Freedom” goals, to spend more time with our children while they are young…

Friends

Lauren and I have a great group of friends some of which we have known since grade school.

We vacation with each other regularly and even have an annual snow trip every year.

In fact, it was one of the main reasons we bought our first STR. Outside of family, this is our most important “category of life”, our “circle of friends”.

These people are our people. We have fun and enjoy time outside of Medicine, finance, etc. This group brings us back to the days before all the noise.

Medicine

The next category is “Medicine”. Both Lauren and I have trusted colleagues that we confide in regarding our medical fields.

It is important to share experiences good and bad with our colleagues. Doing so allows us to process stress but also to expand our medical knowledge.

Over time these relationships often evolve into friends. These people crossover between categories and that is OK.

In fact, many people in the following categories may evolve into friendships which is a great thing.

For a long time the main categories for Lauren and I were Family, Friends and Medicine but we have added great categories over the last few years and the “top five” in these categories have really expanded our minds in many ways.

Physician Bloggers/Entrepreneurs

Lauren and I have met a lot great people in this space. Physicians trying all types of creative cool ideas.

In this group, the two people that have influenced us the most are Dr. Daniel Shin (The Darwinian Doctor) and Dr. Jordan Frey (The Prudent Plastic Surgeon).

I can’t tell you enough about these two physician bloggers. They have been a great source of inspiration and fantastic colleagues.

If you are new to this space reach out to other physicians and see how you can help each other.

Real Estate

Lastly, the “category of real estate”. This can be broken down into long-term and short-term real estate but for now we will keep it simple.

We have met some very creative and inspiring people in this space.

Real estate investing is full of interesting niches and tricks to maximize your returns.

Connecting with people is this space is the fastest way to grow your portfolio. The great part about this community is that you can grow together.

There is not a feeling of competition as much as there is feeling of comradery. We encourage this in our Facebook groups and in our courses.

Over the years we have made great connections and friends that have expanded our minds and hope you will have that same experience.

Don’t limit your self to the “average of 5 people”.

Grow as much as possible in every “category of your life”. Seek out positive people that will help you grow in life and also look to be a positive force in their lives. These relationships are the key to a full life. Family and friends first… then add to the list.

Hope you are having a great day.

Practice the Carpe Diem lifestyle and seize the day

Carpe Diem MD

Enjoy your Journey to Financial Freedom