The other day I was sitting at my desk, thinking. I asked myself silently, "What really attributes to one’s success?" After several minutes of recapping successful moments from my life, I realized a pattern, and shockingly, it had nothing to do with me. What I realized was that success is generated when you have people around you who believe in your potential. The only reason I am successful today is because I have people in my life who believe in me enough to encourage me, challenge me, provide opportunities, and show me hidden qualities within myself. Parents, teachers, mentors, significant others and friends all possess this power to propel you forward. If anyone in your life does not exude supportive behavior, indicating they believe in you, then abandon the friendship fast. Carry the mindset that people will believe in you, always. I tell myself at least 10 times a day, "People will believe in me." Why do I have a mantra such as that? Because I know what it feels like when someone does not believe in you. A prime example of this was when Morgan Stanley, a large investment bank in New York, turned me down for an internship. I was hurt, but I knew that they did not believe in me or else I would have had the internship. I believe that some individuals have higher standards than others; so to remain relevant, and surpass even the highest standards, you must always work on improving yourself.

I hope that it is clear by now that good relationships are crucial to anyone’s success. Having individuals in your life who believe in you, or as I like to call it a "support system," is vital to growth and personal expansion. The well-known motivational speaker Eric Thomas says it best, “Your relationships will either make you or break you and there is no such thing as a neutral relationship. People either inspire you to greatness or pull you down to the gutter, it is that simple. No one fails alone and no one succeeds alone.” So from that quote, we can infer that we all need help in achieving our dreams, desires, and goals. So, get a support team, if it’s missing from your life. Manifesting a dream, or goal is a rather difficult feat without assistance from an external source. Good relationships are important for anyone wishing to achieve more. However, you should not settle for just anyone willing to help you. In the long run, you can end up losing a lot more by opening yourself up to people who pretend they are coming in your life to help you. If I were you, I would pray for the spirit of discernment. I prayed to God for this skill at a young age, especially when I was betrayed by a friend group. Discernment enables me to see the motives of people that I come in contact with regularly, eager to join my support team.

I want to introduce a law that I had to abide by as I start becoming better personally and realized I needed mentors and friends who reflected my personal values. I start using the "law of selectivity." Implementing the law of selectivity gives you the power to choose your friends, instead of them choosing you. I used this principle heavily in college. I noticed some benefits of it. First, I avoided emotional pain from frivolous relationships that would not have been beneficial for me in the long run. Second, I allowed only people who shared my values and standards to spend time with me. Lastly, being selective has allowed me to stay away from individuals and environments that might ruin my reputation I have worked so hard to build.