Most of us are faced with decisions each and every day of our life. Most of these decisions are minor but some can be life changing. However there is one decision that stands above all others in terms of it's ability to change your life for the better or for the worse, and if you are like the majority of the population you are making the wrong choice.

The number one factor that predicts the level of success a person enjoys (or the level of failure that they suffer) is the people that they choose to most strongly associate with. Everything from mental attitude to level of happiness to annual income to financial net worth to degree of satisfaction with life can be accurately predicted by looking at those same qualities in those persons that you hold as your closest friends.

We've all heard the saying "birds of a feather flock together". This saying is a good observation but reality is not quite as simple as that. Psychologists have proven time and time again that we are not only attracted to those who are like ourselves, but we also change to align ourselves with the average of the group we choose to mix with.

Nobody remains the same throughout their life. Every aspect of your life is changing constantly. Your particular beliefs are getting stronger or weaker or perhaps changing altogether. We are either more happy or less happy with life than we were 10 years ago. We are richer or more in debt than we were 10 years ago. In fact every single aspect of life is in flux and the direction it is moving in is determined by those we choose to mix with.

How does it help your quest for success to know that you are moving toward the average of your inner group?

The first and most obvious lesson is that you need to choose your group of friends such that their average is more successful than your current level of success. If you are below the average then you will be automatically lifted up but if you are already above the average then you will be automatically dragged down.

What if you found the ideal group: why would that group want to mix with you if you are below their average?

This is a very common question I get in my seminars but the answer is simple. Success is made up of many factors. You may be below the overall average of your target group but if you are above the average in some of the aspects of success then you will find yourself to be a welcome addition to the group. Think about how you can make yourself more valuable as a member of your desired group and then focus your attention on improving that aspect of yourself.

To finish up this article I'd like to issue you with a little challenge.

Think about where you want to go in life and then, based on those goals, make an honest assessment of each of the members of you current inner group. Where do you stand in relation to the average of this group? If you moved toward that average would you be moving closer to your goal life or further away from it?

Now for the real challenge. Make the decision to move away from those group members who are holding you back and recruit new members who will push you forward. If you have the courage to do this, the automatic results that follow will greatly increase the quality of your life. Life can be a magnificent adventure but you need the right people around you.