An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “only a little while.”

The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life.”

The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”

“But what then?”

The American laughed and said that’s the best part. “When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.”

“Millions.. Then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

– Jim Rohn

Do you agree? Many people often wonder why they can’t seem to achieve their goals or improve their lives. The answer is so obvious many of us miss it.

Change your social circle

It’s been said many times by different people different ways but the message is basically you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with.

Don’t believe me?

Take your salary that you currently earn and compare it to the people you spend the most time with and I bet that everyone is pretty much making the same amount give or take a few thousand dollars.

Why?

It’s because you all have the same level of reality, if you’re currently earning $50,000 a YEAR and you met someone who was making $50,000 a MONTH, you would think they were crazy your mind would reject the belief that someone can make $50,000 in a MONTH!

While at the same time the person earning $50,000 a MONTH would reject your beliefs that all you could earn is $50,000 a year and probably is wondering why you are working for such a low wage.

Now how about meeting someone that made $50,000 a DAY or $50,000 a HOUR! (You probably just completely shut down with that idea) But let me tell you its very possible, and many people are earning that and more with out being a celebrity, athlete or entertainer.

Why do you think wealthy people associate with other wealthy people, its because they can’t comprehend poor peoples beliefs.

How can you expect to lose weight when the people you spend the most time with spend the majority of their time eating fast foods and sitting around watching tv?

As soon as you decided to change you will be met with all kinds of ridicule and negative comments, mainly because if you succeed in your goal it will make them feel  insecure, since you were just like them 1,3 or 6 months ago.

Now apply that to any area of you life specifically finance since that is what this site is mainly about. Ask yourself do the 5 people you spend the most time with live the way you would like to live, earn the money you would like to earn, fit & healthy, have healthy drama free relationships?

If not, then how can you?

It’s like getting directions from someone who hasn’t been where you want to go?

What’s the answer?

It’s simple, spend as much time as you can with people who have achieved your desired “income”, “lifestyle”, “weight” or whatever, and let them sculpt your beliefs.

Accept the fact that you’re inevitably going to have to leave some people alone as a result, and embrace it!

As you interact with your new circle and observe them over the course of several months, the beliefs will slowly fade from “crazy” and eventually become “reality.”

Their thoughts and actions will no longer seem wildly above your abilities — just more intelligent and calculated than you’ve been used to.

You’ll wake up one day, and realize your level has been raised.

And you will hold yourself to a NEW higher standard, until you decide to lift yourself up to the next level, and find a new circle who fits your NEW definition of “rich” (or “successful,” “fit,” etc.)

“According to Nielsen Media Research’s latest report, the average American household watches 8 hours and 15 minutes of television”

8 HOURS WATCHING TV, CMON people. Now of course you don’t watch 8 hrs of tv (do you?) however I noticed whenever I mention to someone about starting a business the usual reply is “I don’t have the time“ but yet they mention how they play video games for 3 hrs a day or watch tv sitcoms for 2 hrs, ya know just too unwind.

Now I ask you why is it that we all get the same 24hrs per day but yet some of us are just getting by and other are making a fortune?

Times Up!

It’s because of how we’re spending our time.

Now I’m about to predict your future:

All you have to do is tell me how you spend your free time (also includes the people you associate with but we’ll factor that in later) and I’ll tell you where you’ll be in 5 years.

So if you spend your free time:

• Watching TV = Broke and probably overweight
• Eating = FAT
• Sleeping = Homeless
• Going To Clubs = Broke, Single, Overweight
• Going To School = Usually making more money
• Starting a Business = A MILLIONAIRE (possibly)

Let me tell you something

“ALL BIG BUSINESSES started as small businesses”

Most of the big businesses you see today were started in somebody’s spare time

• Apple = in a garage
• Dell Computers = In Michael Dells spare time while he attended college full time from a dorm room
• HP (Hewlett Packard) = Spare Time in a garage
• Microsoft = Bill Gates while attending Harvard full time
• Facebook = By a college student in his spare time
• Myspace = By a college student in his spare time

I could go on for days with examples, but the question is WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE 5 YEARS FROM NOW?

Don’t tell me! Show yourself and you do that by deciding with your spare time how you’re going to spend that second, minute or hour of every day.

Ask yourself this “Is what I’m about to do taking me closer or further away from my goals”.

And if you decide to watch TV for 3 hrs that’s cool do just don’t complain in 5 years why you’re still working at that miserable job, making the same salary with a 3% raise and 50lbs overweight.

So what will do you do with your spare time?