“Avoid evil company because the scars of old wounds are in you, and evil company is just the thing that’s necessary to call them out. In the same way, good company will call out the good impressions that are in us, but which have become latent.”
— Swami Vivekananda
How do you feel around unhappy people? Their company probably feels like quicksand—they convince you that you’re a victim, that the world is a terrible place. And if you try to get out, if you so much as think about making your life better, they will go out of their way to make you feel like crap.
Meanwhile, happy people will offer you a hand to get out of the quicksand and build solid ground. And yes, they’ll encourage you to take responsibility for your current state, good or bad.
Now ask yourself: Will I be able to explore life if I’m surrounded by people who drag me down? Or by people to encourage me to become better? You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. So keep the right company.
If you want to walk or run, you need solid ground; you can’t do it on quicksand.