The Company You Keep

Two comments from our athletes after Ironman Wales at the weekend really stuck with me.

“I had no intention whatsoever of doing an Ironman but after a while of hanging around you guys you start to believe you can.”

And:

“I came into this group not being able to swim 50m (really!). And being surrounded by these remarkable people doing remarkable things I was inspired to have a go myself. I’m now 4 Ironmans in…”

There’s something in both of those comments that goes beyond swimming, training or Ironman.

It’s the environment we put ourselves in.

The people we spend time with influence what we see as normal. They influence what we believe is possible. Sometimes without us even realising it.

If you’re surrounded by people who turn up, work hard, improve, take on challenges and keep going when things don’t quite go to plan, it becomes easier to imagine yourself doing some of those things too.

And it’s not because anyone is telling you that you should. Or because you have to keep up. Simply because you see ordinary people doing extraordinary things and your own perception of what’s possible shifts.

And that might be one of the best things about our Squads and our coached athlete community.

We share a pool with people at very different stages of their own journeys. Some are just learning to swim. Some are chasing their first triathlon. Some are working towards a PB. Some have completed one Ironman. Some have completed four, ten or more.

Everyone brings something to the environment.

And sometimes, without even meaning to, we inspire each other to have a go.

That’s a pretty special thing to be part of.

The company you keep matters.

Choose it well.

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And perhaps there’s a wider lesson in this too.

We all have an environment around us.

The people we spend time with. The conversations we have. The things we read and listen to. The standards we see around us every day.

And whether we realise it or not, those things influence us.

If everyone around you is constantly telling you that they’re too busy, too old, too tired or “just not built for that”, it’s quite easy to start believing the same about yourself.

But change your environment and things can start to look different. Spend time with people who are curious, positive and willing to have a go. People who are improving at something. People who have goals of their own. People who encourage you without making you feel that you need to become someone else.

You don’t necessarily need more motivation.

Sometimes you just need to spend a little more time around people who make you believe that something different is possible.

And perhaps that’s worth thinking about, whatever it is you’re trying to achieve.

Who are the people around you?

What are they making you believe is possible?

And are you doing the same for them?