How to Make Life Work For You

Home	02 The Second Greatest Secret	03 Principles of Success	04 Dreams and Goals	05 Decisions	06 Count the Cost
07 The Plan	08 Right Thinking	09 Subconscious	10 Training	11 Affirmations	12 Attitude
13 Mentor	14 Associations	15 Vehicle	16 Persistence	17 The Sage and the Fool	18 Secrets of Having a Job

Associations

We've been told since childhood to be careful about the people with whom we associate. The Biblical injunction says, "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'" (I Corinthians 15:33, NIV). Every mother can see it in her child. The son or daughter goes to school, cultivates friendships with undisciplined children, and soon begins to smoke, swear, talk back to authority, reduce studying, misbehave in class, and start experimenting with drugs. The sages of our day tell us, religious writing tells us, and parents tell us to avoid friendships with individuals who are headed toward disaster of their own choosing, but cultivate friendships with people who are responsible, helpful, respectful, productive, and works at building a life that benefits them.

We're all told this, yet I do not know of one person, parent or child, who habitually avoids or breaks off destructive friendships and develops beneficial friendships. Isn't it about time you did exactly that? Isn't it about time you listened to Wisdom and followed her advice?

Remember, ninety-four percent of the people in the USA will need assistance to live when they reach 65 years of age. This includes every profession from Accountants to Zoologists: doctors, lawyers, ministers, drivers, cooks, and mechanics. You cannot help but learn your ways of life from those with whom you associate. If you want to be like everyone else, if you want to be dependent of someone else for support when you're age 65, then just hang around those who are heading in that direction. Just keep walking in that direction, and you will get there. The way to avoid it is, Don't go there.

If you want to be financially independent by age 65, even by age 30, you must do those things that will get you to that point. You must associate with those people who are either already there or are heading in that direction.

Even if you don't know anybody already there, it doesn't matter. Once you make up you mind to get there, those people will appear; you will meet them. If you start walking in their direction, you will meet them. At first you may meet them only through the books they wrote. Read the books if you want to get where they are.

Each group helps its own people. A den of thieves help each other into greater acts of villainy. A group of free people help each other into greater freedom. Associate with those people with whom you want to be like.

If you are looking for a spouse, a wonderful, responsible, mature and kind spouse, then you must hang around with people like that If you hang around a bunch of irresponsible, immature, dependent people, how will you find the person you want among them? Furthermore you must become like the person you want to marry. What wonderful, responsible, mature and kind person would want to marry a jerk? You must become like the person you want, and you must associate with people like that.

Association is key to becoming the person you want to be.

Go now to Vehicle.