You are the average of five people you surround yourself with.
If the five people closest to you love partying and don't take care of themselves, chances are, you don't either. If they spend all night playing video games and struggle with terrible grades, your grades probably aren’t something you're proud of either. But if your friends hit the gym daily and watch what they eat, there's a high chance you're healthier than the average. While there are exceptions, the ideas hold true for most people.
Humans learn from their surroundings. We're sophisticated animals that excel at copying each other. That’s how culture, slang, accents, and even traditions spread. After spending a lot of time together, people learn each other's habits and adopt each other's mindsets.
Many successful people attribute their success to their mentors. Mather Luther King has Gandhi. Mark Zuckerberg had Steve Jobs. Bill Gates had Warren Buffet. People who become successful almost always have at least one person in their sphere of influence who was already massively successful. It's from them that they adopted the mindset and habits that they needed to bring them to success eventually.
However, you might say, "Well, I don't know anyone successful. My friends are just average people". But this is where the benefit of reading comes in. A book is essential a collection of someone’s ideas, mindsets, advice, and even another person's experience, all wrapped into an accessible format. It is almost like having that person there speaking to you. This is why 75% of self-made millionaires have even reported reading at least two books monthly.
The true benefit of reading is that you can pick and choose who you want to add to your inner group of influence, which will eventually affect who you become as a person. When you read, you get a glimpse into the author's mind. There are so many books out there that are written by people who are already massively successful in different fields. Their ideas and mindsets and words are all waiting to be shared. If you want to go on a meditation retreat with Gandhi, talk politics with Martin Luther King, or even get business advice from Warren Buffet. All you must do is submerge yourself by reading their words, and you'll get a glimpse into their world and their way of thinking.
When you read, you add a new “friend” to your group – someone who is most likely older and wiser, and likely more successful. And as humans, we copy from the people we’re closet to. These changes eventually bring you closer to success.
So, challenges yourself to read. Make your New Year's resolution this year, for example, read at least one book a week.
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