Greg drives a pre-owned sedan. It’s not a luxury brand. It doesn’t have a bunch of cameras or a system that warns him when he floats outside of his lane. He is fine with that.

Then he moves.

Everyone in his new neighborhood drives newer, premium cars. And they’re mostly SUVs. Greg soon realizes he drives the oldest car in the neighborhood.

What do you think happens next?

Greg buys a new car. Why? He was perfectly content before he moved.

People like us do things like this.

We do things because we want to fit in. We want to be a “member in good standing.” We want to belong to the club. Membership isn’t just paying the dues. It’s also knowing the secret handshake, wearing the right outfit… driving the right car.

Greg doesn’t tell himself he bought the car to fit in with his neighbors. He justifies that the car was unreliable. He needed the new safety features. The fabric was starting to wear.

The point is, we are subconsciously influenced by the people we associate with.

So, if you want to be more…

• Creative
• Productive
• Innovative
• Prolific
• Inspirational
• Kind
• Outgoing
• Generous
• Courageous
• etc.

… associate yourself with others who have those same attributes.

Maybe you can’t be best friends with them or work on their team, but you can listen to their podcasts, read their books and study their work. Be careful not to put them on a pedestal though. The point is to associate yourself with them. Once you see yourself as part of the same tribe, you’ll find yourself doing similar things as they do.

If you don’t want to go where the rest of the flock is going, find one you DO want to go with… and fly!