Posts by Pat:
The 5 Chimps Theory
There’s a theory called “the five chimps theory” shared by Naval Ravikant, Silicon Valley tycoon, in his book Tools of Titans:
In zoology, you can predict the mood and behavior patterns of any chimp by which five chimps they hang out with the most.
And I believe we see it in our own (non-chimp?) lives!
As Jim Rohn, my favorite motivational speaker and self help guru, told us:
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
And, as my Mom said repeatedly:
“Birds of a feather flock together.”
Being careful of the company we keep is smart. The wrong people in our environment can most certainly dissuade, deter, and distract us from the course we’ve set out on.
A study done in 2007 on obesity revealed that if one of our close friends becomes obese, we’re 57% more likely to do the same!
Why is that?
The people we see tend to set our standard for what’s appropriate. After all, we are social animals and like to fit in.
To generalize the theory “they” say that we are emotionally, physically, financially, or otherwise the average of the five people we spend the most time with.
There are two variables that interplay in determining how much of our thoughts and actions are influenced by the people around us. The first is our consciousness and resilience as an individual. The second is the collective sum of the consciousness of the people we are with.
I guess this means we need to be conscious!
There’s also something James Altucher, author, called the 5 x 5 Rule that says you are not just the average of the 5 people around you. You’re the average of the
- 5 HABITs you do
- 5 FOODS you eat
- 5 IDEAS you have
- and the CONTENT you consume
That’s a lot of food for thought!
So, what do you think?
a fun story!
Here’s a fun story for you to follow last week’s post on four letter words! “A young couple got married and left on their honeymoon. When they got back, the bride immediately called her mother. ‘Well,’ said her mother, ‘so, how was the honeymoon?’ ‘Oh, mama,” she replied, ‘the honeymoon was wonderful! So romantic…’ Suddenly […]
Word Play!
The words we choose to use we often choose unthinkingly. Here’s a game to take control of that! Using the infamous four letter words association, make a better list of all the positive four letter words you can think of. As you do that you’ll discover some words are neither negative nor positive, but seem neutral. So then you have […]
There’s no substitute for doing it…
We learn to do something by doing it. There is no other way. A child works hard to do something he’s never done before. He’s just turned one and he doesn’t know how to walk (yet). There are no really useful books or videos on how to walk. It’s something he has to figure out on […]
Sticks and stones…
The power in our words is often underestimated. We need to discount that old adage that says “sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” We all have been hurt by the words of others, be they parents, partners, teachers, bosses, friends. And we all have hurt someone else, even our loved ones, by […]
What is a Dad?
What is a Dad? A dad is someone who wants to catch you before you fall but instead picks you up, brushes you off, and lets you try again. A dad is someone who wants to keep you from making mistakes but instead lets you find your own way, even though his heart breaks in […]
Any rocks in your path?
Do you know this story? Once there was a very wise king who spared no effort to teach his people good habits of being industrious and careful. He felt that nothing good can come to a nation whose people complain and expect others to fix their problems for them. One night while everyone else slept, he […]
7 truisms to chuckle over!
Some stuff that’s true is also funny. Here are seven thoughts for you to mull over! Do you have a favorite to add to this list?
Two “easies”
One of the simple philosophical principles in life is: Easy to do is also easy NOT to do! It’s super easy to turn off the computer and the phone when I want some thinking time. It’s not particularly hard to reach out and unplug. Doing that is SUPER easy. But…it’s also REALLY easy not to […]
13 fun truths…
Truths that little kids have learned: No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats. If your sister hits you, don’t hit her back. They always catch the second person. You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. The best place to be when you’re feeling sad is Grandpa’s lap. […]