Peer pressure is real. You will turn into the five people that you spend the most time with. If you have certain goals that you want to accomplish, then you need to surround yourself with people who possess traits that will help you reach those goals. Whether your goals are in weightlifting or something completely different, these concepts hold true.
As a weightlifter you should assess yourself honestly to find your weaknesses. Is your weakness strength? Technique? Diet? Emotional stability? The possibilities are endless, but you have to honestly assess yourself to find the real weakness.
Once you have found your weaknesses, find people who are good at your weaknesses, because guess what? You will absorb their habits. If your friends drink a lot, you will drink a lot. If your friends eat McDonald's a lot, you will eat McDonald's a lot. If your friends stay up late, you will stay up late. If your friends eat healthy, you will eat healthy. If your friends train hard, then you will train hard! You get the idea.
If your weakness is the back squat, surround yourself with people who have strong legs and squat often. Learn from those people and emulate their work ethic in the strength exercises. Find out how their training mentality in the strength exercises differs from yours.
If your weakness is technique, surround yourself with people who have better technique than you do. Watch their lifts when they are training. Ask them what they are thinking about when they lift, and what exercises they feel like improved their technique the most.
If your weakness is diet, surround yourself with people who are more knowledgeable and diligent with their diet. If none of your friends eat healthy, find someone online who can teach you about proper nutrition for athletes. Ask them how to eat properly on a strict time schedule.
Emotions are contagious habits as well. Surround yourself with emotionally stable people. Happiness is contagious, but so are sadness and negativity. Be careful with the mindset of others that you train and spend the most time with. Mentally being upbeat and happy allows you to recover much faster!
Control your destiny by choosing to spend time with others that possess traits that you would be happy to share. Learn all you can from those who have strengths that are your weaknesses and never be too stubborn to change or you will never develop yourself as a person or athlete to the fullest!
Success is a choice so choose to succeed!
