Jim Rohn once said that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

Since hearing this famous quote I’ve become mindful of this fact. I notice how truly accurate it is. Surrounding yourself with the right people can literally make you a better person.

The opposite is also true.

This also means that you are likely one of those five people to others. I hadn’t thought of this until recently but the realization caught me off guard.

I think of how I behave at work. Like most people, I don’t love my day job. As a result, I tend to act differently when I’m there. I become much more sarcastic and cynical than I am in the rest of my life.

I’m incredibly fortunate to have a strong group of amazing friends outside of work that I get to spend my time with. My big five are not people from my job.

But this isn’t the case for everyone. For all I know — for all any of us know — we are one of the five for a lot of people; without ever realizing it.

The way we act around others is more important than we realize. Our actions and behaviours can shape those of the people we interact with.

Realize that you might be one of the five for any number of people you regularly encounter. And know that how you act can affect the lives of others.