You can’t choose family, but you can choose this…
Hey friend,
Over the past couple weeks, we’ve been talking about inputs... what you watch, listen to, read, and consume. (If you missed those, you can catch up here: What You Let In Really Matters + Your Uplifting List).
But there’s another input that’s even more powerful than music, books, or screens…
The people you spend time with.
You know those friends who make you laugh, remind you who you are, and leave you feeling lighter? And then there are the others… one hangout with them and you’re looping on their drama, feeling depleted, and wondering where your energy went.
As motivational speaker Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” And modern research backs this up. Emotions, habits, and health behaviors are contagious in our social circles… and, get this, predictors of a longer life! *Check out this rad research summarized in easier-to-read terms here.*
So here’s the real question:
✨ Are you surrounding yourself with people who inspire, support, and stretch you to grow?
✨ Or are you giving your precious energy to people who judge, drain, or keep you small?
This isn’t about perfection or cutting people out cold-turkey. It’s about noticing who brings you life, and choosing, over time, to invest more time with those people. It’s simple, but not necessarily easy.
Here’s a tiny reflection practice for this week:
Write down the 3-5 people you spend the most time with
Circle the ones who light you up.
Star the ones who drain you.
Then ask: what’s one small way I can lean more into the nourishing connections?
Your community is one of your most powerful inputs. Choose it with care, just like you do the food you eat or the shows you watch.
Surround yourself with people who help you feel alive, inspired, and more like yourself. And quite simply... watch your energy expand! The world needs that unstoppable version of you.
When you’re grounded, living in alignment, and full of… YOU, you are doing something revolutionary. You’re contributing to healing in a world that desperately needs it.
Your energy, your peace, your presence… all of it has a ripple effect.
So keep choosing those circles who really see and honor the bada** you!
With You,
Abbey
PS- truth check… this is also a good week to observe yourself. How are you showing up to your relationships? What’s the narrative in your head? Of course we all need friends to vent to, but can we also be the ones who help each other rise?