ATMOSPHERE.
[at-muh s-feer] noun
1. the whole mass of air surrounding the earth.
2. this medium at a given place.
3. a surrounding influence or environment.
Atmosphere... a specific aura in a particular space, a potential positive or negative impact translated from one person to another, an environment powerful enough to change the mood of a large body of people.
As little kids we would consistently hear "Birds of a feather flock together" or "You are the company you keep", sayings that were instilled in us to assure that we wouldn't get caught up in the wrong crowd. As we get older, those sayings have just as much meaning with a slightly different connotation. You see, many people fail to stop and assess who they are allowing in their space and what affect those people possibly have on them. For example, the Earth's atmosphere is comprised of nitrogen, oxygen and argon... yet who would have thought that human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and so much more, would ever have the power to cause climate change and affect our precious air? I don't think y'all hear me. Are you ever talking on the phone and you take two steps to the left and all of sudden you have ZERO connection? That obviously means that you have no signal in that particular area. Well unfortunately I hate to break it to you, but you've surrounded yourself with people that are just as toxic as these things.
Have you evaluated your friends as of lately, or better yet your atmosphere? What does YOUR atmosphere consist of? We must learn to realize that outside sources most definitely have the power to hinder our success. Negativity spreads like wildfire and if you're around bad vibes or bad habits too long they will eventually translate over into your life as well. We've all been there. Some people are so negative that their presence can completely change the mood of an entire room. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some people are so uplifting and positive that they can bring light into a dark room. Which are you capable of?
I've always believed in the idea that you should hang around people with similar morals, values, and goals as yourself; or even people that you aspire to be like. Some people feel inadequate when associating or hanging around people that are more successful than them. But why not learn from them? They are obviously doing something right, so soak up all that knowledge. This way you can grow with these people, have similar work ethics, and genuinely want the best for each other. Most negative people don't want to see anybody else happy, so do you possibly think that they would be rooting for you? Yeah, absolutely not. So don't let their energy affect yours.
We must also be on lookout for people that don't have their priorities in order. That can definitely affect you as well. If you're a dreamer, and you have a realistic game plan on how you're going to achieve all of your goals, you don't need to associate with people that do nothing but waste time. You can't expect to ever become that CEO or professional athlete if you only associate with people that want to party or sleep 24/7. Moguls and executives don't waste time, so don't hang around people that fail to realize how to productively maximize their 24 hours. By all means, if your priority is to be in a relationship, then continue to hang around people that are only concerned with being boo'd up all day.
Learn to protect your peace and remove all those bad seeds out your life. The people that are meant to be in your life will never make you compromise your morals or goals for anything that could possibly hinder your success. This pertains to relationships and family as well. Anyone can be toxic in your life, and you have the power to eliminate anyone that's not a positive component within your atmosphere. Some people are only in your life for a particular season or a specific chapter. Don't ever make the mistake of allowing them to ruin your story.
Proverbs 13:20 "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed."