Your Inner Circle Matters

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Hi, welcome to another episode of the Money Brew podcast. this is where I talk about all things money. and today I want to dive into personal development and the power of mindset when it comes to, your money and financial growth. it’s something that’s really powerful, but a lot of people overlook, the people that you surround yourself with.

If you’re like me, I have problems saying no, to people. And that sometimes means that you are around people that are not supporting your growth or not good for your financial growth. Personal growth. so the people you surround yourself with can directly impact your wealth, your success, and your overall mindset.

you’ve probably heard the saying that you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and I really believe that’s true. It’s not just a catchy phrase. it’s a principle that can determine the course of your success. And, I tried to put that [00:01:00] in practice last year, and I know a lot of friends and a lot of people in business did as well.

And, it’s proven to be, Successful so far. So I’m gonna try a little bit harder this year, but I really wanted to do an episode about that today. So let’s get into it. the power of your inner circle, let’s call it. so success isn’t just about what you know, it’s also about who you surround yourself with.

So you know, the people in your life can influence your habits, your mindset, and even your financial decisions. if you’re around people that, possibly shopaholics and they’re helping you spend your money, because you have no self-control, that it’s probably best not to spend too much time with those people.

and that energy rubs off on you as well. If, start again.

So success isn’t just about what you know, it’s about who you surround yourself with. So it’s the people in your life who influence your habits, mindset, and your financial [00:02:00] decision. So if you think about when you were growing up as well, the same thing applies. so think about it. Your closest friends, if they’re constantly complaining about money and blaming external factors for their situation and they avoid self-improvement, guess what?

That energy is definitely gonna rub off on you. on the flip side, if you spend time with people who are ambitious and financially savvy and they’re continuously working on themselves, then you’ll naturally start to adopt their habits, their way of thinking, and even their wealth building strategies.

So maybe that’s why I’ve got. So many friends wanting to be around. Jim Rohn once said, you cannot change the people around you, but you can change the people you choose to be around. So that’s true, and that’s what we’re gonna explore today, how you can intentionally curate your circle to support your growth.

so I did see, I’ve been following some fitness people, so same thing, if you, I’m trying to lose some weight and I’m trying to get fit and healthy again. got a few injuries that I’m working on, but [00:03:00] I’ve made a promise to myself that’s gonna be a number one priority this year.

So I’ve been following a lot of, I. I don’t get on TikTok much, but I have been following, some, people on Instagram, and watching their reels. And there’s this one lady that I particularly like and I really bad, I tried to find her before this, and I just can’t find, I, actually, I’m not following her.

I see a lot of her videos coming up. And I just love her. no bullshit approach. She’s this is why you’re not fucking losing weight. She’s really into it. but she used a fantastic analogy on a video I saw yesterday and she had a banana and an avocado, and she said, this banana, she put it near the avocado.

The avocado gets ripe quicker. So she said the banana supports. The growth of the avocado. So she said, find more bananas in your life to support your growth. So I really liked that. So let’s just say we’re gonna find some more [00:04:00] bananas after this episode. so let’s identify who adds value to your life, like a banana to the avocado.

So before you start distancing yourself from people who don’t support your growth, you need to identify who actually adds value to your life. So here’s a quick exercise that you can do. So make a list of people you spend the most time with next to each name. Ask yourself these questions. So do they challenge me to grow?

Do they celebrate my wins without jealousy? This is really important. Do they offer constructive feedback rather than discouragement? There’s a really big difference between construct constructive feedback rather than discouragement. Do they inspire me with their actions and do they push me to be my best self?

1. So if someone consistently drains your energy, doubts your ambitions, or makes you feel stuck, it’s time to reconsider their place in your life. So your inner circle should include people who are goal orientated, encouraging, [00:05:00] positive, willing to share their knowledge. That’s a really big one. god menopause, financially responsible.

This is really important if you are trying to get ahead financially yourself and solution focused, not problem focused. And I. I cannot tell you how important that one is. Solution focused and not problem focused. Sorry, just gimme a minute. Honestly, people, I’ve got any of my menopause sisters out there.

My lordy, lordy Lord, I’ve never sweat so much in my entire life. So let’s get back to it’s solution focused and not problem focused. so we have a business coach and, the beautiful Suzanne, and Suzanne Walker from ClearPath Accounting. I can mention them because she is an amazing woman and she introduced this to us that, we knew of it, but she, Bangs on about it all the time about being solution focused, not problem focused, and whether you are above the line or below the line, owning mistakes and a bet, and trying to be better from that, and not blaming people not blaming [00:06:00] anyone, just looking at yourself and seeing why. so I really love that.

So if you currently don’t have people like this in your life, don’t worry. We are gonna discuss how to find them shortly. and for me, I found Suzanne at, the Penrith Chamber of Commerce. so we are gonna talk now about how to distance yourself from negative and Nancy’s we’ll call them or negative influences.

so that’s actually the really hard part because, like I said before, I’m a yes person. I have a real problem saying no to people. I’m a real people pleaser. and that’s. Because of my upbringing, I was always told that children should sit and, be seen and not heard, and I just had to agree with everything.

So that’s just been instilled in me and it’s really hard to turn that around. But with a little practice, you can. so yes, this is hard, but for your own personal growth, you’ve gotta give it go. [00:07:00] So limit your exposure to these people. If you’ve got negative influences in your life, whether it’s family, friends, or colleagues, you, don’t have to cut them off entirely, but you can limit how often you interact with them.

So reduce the time spent with them, especially environments in environments. I dunno where my words are today, that bring out their negative behaviors. So that’s really important. Shift the conversation. So if you find yourself in negative discussions with complaining, gossiping, or blaming, try and redirect conversation.

bring up topics of growth, success, and positivity. If they’re not receptive, then that’s a sign that they’re not aligned with where you are heading. I gotta have a sip of my coffee. I don’t have sweating like this and I’m drinking coffee. that’s mental. And do you like my to fucking legend?

’cause I am.

Let’s talk about boundaries. Set clear boundaries. some people, may resist your changes, so they might guilt trip you or, mock [00:08:00] or make fun of your ambitions. but be firm, let them know that you are focusing on your personal and financial growth. And if they don’t respect that, then you have every right to step back.

Step back from them, not spend as much time with them. find your growth circle. actively seek out networking events, mastermind groups, mentorship programs, online communities even. there’s a lot of Facebook groups, for, like money Facebook groups. Actually, we actually have them, the easiest, that’s one of the easiest ways to replace negative influences is by surrounding yourself with right influences. and understand that not everybody is gonna be on board. some friendships and relationships simply won’t evolve with you, and that’s okay. That’s part of growth.

letting go of limiting relationships opens the door for new, more aligned connections. So when you think about it, if you are spending a lot of time. With a friend or around people, even [00:09:00] family, that are not supporting your growth and that are negative, by, by, by cutting them out of your life a little bit.

You are freeing up that time and that energy to go and spend with somebody that has more positive outlook and that is gonna be better for your growth, or more beneficial, for you at this time in your life. So I’m not saying that you have to completely cut people out of your life. I mean you can if you want to.

It’s entirely up to you. And look from experience I have, in the past, of course, I think we all have cut people out of our lives and that’s okay because, people grow. And grow apart relationships change. but I am pleased to say our, my relationship with Anthony has changed, but I haven’t left him.

he hasn’t left me. we are still going strong. You’ll be pleased to know. so here’s some practical tips for expanding your wealth mindset. Through people. So how do you ensure that you’re surrounding yourself with high value friendships who, elevate, [00:10:00] and improve your mindset and your wealth?

I’m standing up today doing this episode too ’cause I thought, you know what? I sit down all the time. so a few actionable steps. So those mastermind groups, surround yourself. With people focused on wealth creation and self-development. paid memberships often attract serious like-minded individuals.

I’m in a group with Kate Toon, and they’re all really positive people in there. Kate’s really positive. she shares the ups and downs, but she’s a person, right? So you want that. If that’s what you want in your life, then go follow people like that. Follow thought leaders, podcasts, books, online communities.

They’re also a great way to find the right mindset, and meet real people in real life PO potentially. networking events, business events, financial workshops, seminars. We’ll introduce you to share, people who share your goals and, I’m actually working on webinar at the moment. invest in a mentor.

So I mentioned Suzanne before. and that’s exactly what she is, to me and to [00:11:00] Anthony in our business. she challenges us. She excel helps us accelerate our growth. you’ve gotta look for someone who is already where you want to be, and she has an incredible business. So if you’re gonna invest in a mentor, make sure that they’ve walked the path that you ha that you want to walk, and that they’re successful.

and here’s a really big one, is audit your social media. I cannot say this one. Enough. so your feed should inspire you so unfollow negative people and start following people who educate and motivate and push you towards success. That’s exactly why I’ve been following, these fitness people, that I like.

I’m a sweary bear and I follow people that swear because that’s, I relate to that. so go and find people that you like and follow them. Okay. w when you surround yourself with what we perceive as a winner, then you are likely to become a winner as well. And I say winner because it’s winning [00:12:00] to You don’t worry about millions of dollars or whatever. You’ve gotta figure out what winning to you is. All right. I’m gonna wrap up with a few common questions that we often hear, about these kind of things. And I’ve mentioned this before. So what do you do if the negative people or family members, whoof.

Oh boy, that makes me sweat even more because woo. Yes. yeah. Wow. that’s a big one. so you can’t always cut off family, right? But you can set boundaries so you can limit time spent discussing personal goals with them, and instead focus on neutral topics. surround yourself with the positive influences outside of your family circle.

and look, I can, I could talk for a long time about influences that family have on you, For anyone that’s lis, anyone that’s listened before is, I grew up with my aunt and housing commission and, anytime I had any aspirations or wanted to do something, that was a big dream to me.

It was like, what do you wanna do that for? Just marry [00:13:00] a rich man. I was cut down, so you want to, and a lot of, energy was spent on how I looked and, how thin I was. It was, it, There was a lot of, telling me that, oh, I put on a bit of weight, or my hair didn’t look good, or, I didn’t look good in this outfit, or I show too much leg or whatever.

So everything was around what I looked like and how I presented myself. So I. Because I was told to marry a rich man. but I became the rich man. So there you go. so let’s do the, how do I meet more ambitious, growth-minded people? Again, industry events, joining business groups, engaging in online communities offer value and network with intention.

1. If you go into networking events, if you run a business, you’ve gotta go into these events with a plan. why are you joining it? What, do you want? You don’t just go, sometimes I go just to have a drink and catch up with the people I [00:14:00] like, because I’m gonna be honest, we really don’t need the business.

We are so busy at the moment, which is fantastic that everybody wants to look after their finances. but. I go there because it’s a little outlet for me, and it’s surrounding myself with these successful people that I admire and that I wanna be like. So that’s why I go, so figure out why you’re going and find something that you can get to.

what if your friends think that you are too good for them now? and Just re remember and realise that reaction is actually often a reflection of their insecurities. be kind, but don’t shrink yourself to make others comfortable. That’s so important. true friends are gonna celebrate your growth.

and that’s all there is to it. so I hope that helps. your success is heavily influenced by the people around you. So if you wanna grow, build wealth, and develop a strong mindset, then you’ve [00:15:00] gotta be intentional about who’s in your inner circle. We tell people all the time to audit their fixed costs, but I’m asking you today to audit your relationships and who are you spending time around?

Do you have bananas around you and are you, the avocado and the bananas are gonna support your growth? So I really love that analogy. I might have a t-shirt made. so thank you for listening. and I’m interested in hearing on, Any growth strategies that you have come up with. And if you, want any help in the Penrith area and you want to connect with some business people, hit me up.

And, I would love you to come and be my guest at the Chamber event. yeah, and I look forward to chatting to you guys next time. Ciao.