Your Mosaic

“You must surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and the thinkers, but most of all surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you even when you don’t see it in yourself.” - Edmund Lee

You know how sometimes you can hear something over and over again and feel nothing and then suddenly (and seemingly out of nowhere) you hear it one more time and it finally hits you right in the heart? That was my day today.

For years I've heard the expression "You become like the 5 people you spend the most time with" and honestly until today, I had never really given it much thought. Sure, I've had moments where I'll say a word or unique phrase and laugh as I realize I picked it up from a friend, but I hadn't given deeper inquiry to the layers under the surface - the truly foundational aspects of each of us that become reflections (or sponges) of those we share our time with. For some reason, this time it finally landed...and I was genuinely struck silent for a moment. What a strangely potent lightbulb moment to have first thing on a Friday morning!

So I sat with my morning coffee and I had a good ponder and a good feel. I wondered, how much of me comes from my own unique sparkle and how much of it is an intricate collage of aspects adopted from those around me? And then I wondered some more...do these unintentionally purloined traits align with the person I am aspiring to be?

And then I wondered even more upon more...am I choosing to surround myself with people who inspire me, spark creativity, ignite passion AND (again wondering more upon more upon more) am I the kind of person who inspires greatness in others, nourishes their growth, helps swell the tide of their successes? Am I choosing to surround myself with sunshine or hurricane?

I indulged myself and let my thoughts swirl and dance and spin and tumble until I finally followed the bouncing ball all the way to a very simple answer. Yes, in many ways I am both a reflective mirror and an absorbing sponge of those I keep close and yes, I believe the same is true in reverse.

And you know what? It felt so incredibly empowering to voice that simple idea. It made me want to commit to not only surround myself with the inspired, motivated, passionate, grateful, and open minded people in this world, it made me want to BE the dreamer and the doer and the believer and the thinker and the person who sees greatness in others even when they don't see it in themselves.

And...you know what else? It made me so unbelievably grateful. Because if I am a mosaic made up of tiny tiles of the people I share time with then that makes me the luckiest human in the world...because look at this radiant community of phenomenal people I stumbled my way into. I hope you know how grateful I am for the vibrant sunlight you give me every day. And I hope you know how determined I am to live up to your radiant example and to embody even a tiny amount of the inspiration you have given me.