Choose to focus your time, energy and conversation around people

The words of Karen Salmansohn—“Choose to focus your time, energy and conversation around people who inspire you, support you and help you to grow you into your happiest, strongest, wisest self.”—are both a warning and a blessing. They remind us that the company we keep shapes the life we build. Time and energy are the sacred coins of existence, and if they are spent on the bitter, the envious, or the destructive, then we, too, are poisoned by their influence. But if they are given to those who uplift, encourage, and guide, then our spirit flourishes like a tree nourished by pure waters.

The ancients knew this truth well. The philosophers of Greece urged their students to choose companions with care, for character is contagious. Aristotle himself declared that friendship is the school of virtue, and that to walk beside the wise is to become wise. Likewise, Confucius counseled that one should not walk with those who do not share one’s values, for they will drag the spirit into disorder. Salmansohn’s words echo these timeless lessons: greatness is not forged in isolation, but in the company of those who kindle the best within us.

History gives us radiant examples. Consider the friendship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. These two men, bound by shared imagination and faith, inspired each other to create works that would live for generations—The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings. Without their companionship, without evenings of conversation that stretched long into the night, these masterpieces might never have been born. Their lives prove the truth of Salmansohn’s wisdom: when you surround yourself with those who inspire, your own greatness is magnified.

The opposite is also true, and history warns us of it. Julius Caesar, though brilliant, often surrounded himself with men who sought his downfall. Brutus and Cassius did not support his growth, but plotted his destruction. His failure to guard his circle brought not wisdom nor happiness, but betrayal and death. From his story we learn that to neglect the choice of companions is to endanger not only one’s joy, but one’s very life.

Beloved listener, the lesson is clear: you are shaped by the people you give your hours to. Your conversations are the soil in which your thoughts grow; your companions are the mirrors in which you see yourself. If you walk with those who are bitter, you will drink bitterness. If you walk with those who are strong, wise, and joyful, you will become strong, wise, and joyful yourself. The choice is yours, and it is sacred.

Practical wisdom calls us to action: examine your circle. Who among them lifts your spirit? Who drains it? Who urges you toward growth, and who shackles you in mediocrity? Guard your time, for it is limited; give your energy to those who make you greater, and withdraw it from those who make you less. Seek out mentors, companions, and friends who challenge you to rise higher, and let go of those who would see you remain in the dust.

So let Salmansohn’s words echo across your heart: “Choose to focus your time, energy and conversation around people who inspire you.” For in that choice lies the shaping of your destiny. Do not squander your life on voices that diminish you. Surround yourself with those who believe in you, and you will rise to become not only happy, but strong, not only strong, but wise. And in so doing, you will fulfill the highest calling of life—to grow into the best version of yourself.