We've all heard the phrase, "You are the company you keep." But who do successful and wealthy individuals spend time with?
According to a recent Business Insider article, they don't spend time with one type of person. Author Thomas C. Corley spent five years researching and analyzing the habits of rich, affluent people and found they steer clear of pessimists.
From Mr. Corley's research, he found 86 percent of successful people in his study tended to connect with other goal-oriented individuals and "limit their exposure to toxic, negative people," according to Mr. Corley.
"Self-made millionaires are very particular about who they associate with," Mr. Corley writes in his book Change Your Habits, Change Your Life. "You are only as successful as those you frequently associate with. The rich are always on the lookout for individuals who are goal-oriented, optimistic, enthusiastic and who have an overall positive mental outlook."
The fact that a positive mental outlook is key to success isn't exactly a new idea. In his 1937 book Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill examined the habits of 500 self-made millionaires. "Men take on the nature and the habits and the power of thought of those with whom they associate," and "there is no hope of success for the person who repels people through a negative personality," Mr. Hill wrote, according to the report.