Does Your Posse Suck?

I often wonder, what I can do every month to improve the livelihood and quality of every student I come in contact with.

Just the other day, while waiting to board a flight to New Jersey I sat next to a college student. As we both played with our Apple laptops, and both with ear plugs in our ear I said to myself…“I wonder if he is playing his ‘A’ game in school?” Now I assumed he was a college student, because he wore a bold sweat shirt with a school’s name on it.

With a nosiness about me, I asked, “do you attend the University on your sweatshirt?” With a relieved look of breaking the silence, he nodded “yes”. I introduced myself and gave him some “dap” and the universal “wsup Nod”. We began chatting about his first year of school.

Being from Texas and going to school in upstate New York, he commented that his biggest challenge was managing academics and football. Playing on a team with as 3-8 record  as a freshman wide receiver, he had more than football issues. He had challenges adjusting to being a football scholar, working with his coaches (who are rumored to being fired) and living so far from home.

From his soft voice, you can tell that he was not pleased with his all around first semester performance. I sat there and listened as he spoke about grades, studying, his major, time and being physically exhausted for the football season.

But there is still hope……

As I was packing my things listening to him to board my plane, I simply said this to him.

If you want to be GREAT, then hang with GREAT people.

If you want to be the BEST, then find out what the best do and learn from them.

The scripture in Proverbs says it this way, “He who hangs with wise men, shall be wise, but a companion of fools, shall be destroyed.”

In academics, in business, in sports and in any aspect of life, you must find someone greater and learn from their failures and successes.

It is said that you are the average of the five people you associate with the most. Your GPA is probably the average of the five colleagues you hang with the most. Your salary is probably the
average of the five people you associate with the most.

Does your posse suck ?

That’s the question I want to leave with you. I challenge you to upgrade every area of your life by strategically examining your posse.

Here’s the Gameplan for you:

Make a detail list of the circle of 5 friends/associates/mentors who will best position you for your “A” Game. Who in your group of 5 do you need to cut, and who do u need to add?

Tags: associates, family skills, friends, friendship, marriage, mates, partners, relationships, study groups