Who you spend time with is who you become.

It is not metaphorical. The language you use shifts to match the people around you. Your ambitions are calibrated by the level of those you spend the most time with, quietly.

Your standard for yourself rises or falls in the company of others, usually without your noticing. This does not mean you abandon people who are struggling. That is not the point.

It means being intentional about whose voice gets the most access to your mind. Some relationships energise and elevate. Others drain and diminish. You do not get to choose family. You do get to choose proximity.