By: Roxanne Turner

This past week was a big one for the Morning Coach® Community, with not only our Get It Done Now! Quarterly Meeting but also two of those meetings devoted to coaching. And as Karen noted in her recap, it's been so great seeing all these amazing people come together and learn from each other. 

Karen's comment got me thinking about Jim Rohn’s famous quote: “Are you just an average of your five closest friends?” I say, "No way!" I have got science to back me up.

The concept of you are your five closest friends relates to the concept that you are greatly influenced by those closest to us. Whether you like it or not, those closest to you can affect your way of thinking, lifestyle, e.g., exercise and diet, and your decision-making. I do agree with this concept; influence goes beyond your inner circle. I came across the study of happiness which opened my eyes to the greater influence at large.

The study of happiness looked at how friends beyond your closest five affect your happiness. They found that the group of people who have a measurable impact on our level of happiness is much larger than I initially thought! It may not be just those five closest to you, but it also could extend out to friends of a friend of a friend. For instance, the quarterly and coaching meetings are more than just hanging out at happy hour or dropping by someone's place after work. The purpose is to hear people’s stories about successes and ask questions or provide insight when looking to make a change or a transition in their business or life. 

In the Group Coaching Meetings, we all clarify our goals, next steps, and wins and provide honest feedback. An example of great feedback was when someone mentioned they were confused about the objective of the meeting. I appreciated this insight as I know we have more work to do to clarify the purpose and impact of the Get It Now! Coaching Meetings can have. 

I love that I can invest my time in the Morning Coach® community and get such great dividends! Having happy friends twice removed is even more rewarding than getting a $10,000 raise, which only increases your happiness by 2%. Each day this week has been a fantastic reminder of how being part of something bigger and better makes me feel fulfilled.

How is the Morning Coach® Community paying out dividends for you?