If you are up for firefighter promotion and are trying to stay focused and motivated, take a look at the people you surround yourself with. Your friends, coworkers, and family can have a major effect on your mental health state without you even realizing it.
The Impact of Those Around You
Whether you realize it or not the mindset of the people you hang out with has a huge impact on you and your mental health. Just take a moment to think about it. I am sure you have one super optimistic friend who is always chasing their goals and energized just in life. After meeting for lunch with them you probably feel more energized and excited about whatever you are doing in your life. Then on the opposite end of the spectrum think about that one friend who is always down in the dumps, unmotivated, just existing as life passes them by. How do you feel after seeing them? Probably drained. Probably less motivated and much less excited about life than you were before seeing them. This is because of something in our brains, called mirror neurons. “They are a type of brain cell that respond equally when we perform an action and when we witness someone else perform an action” This means when you witness someone being sad or depressed you mimic their behavior subconsciously. This is why people cry during sad movies or feel so happy when you see a video of a stranger being happy. Now I know not everyone ends up feeling the way those around them do, but a lot of people do. Which is why, as you begin to move up the ladder in your firefighting career you need to surround yourself with likeminded people who are trying to achieve their goals. So you can build off of their energy and reach your career goals even faster.
People You Should Choose to Surround Yourself With
People Who Are Passionate
If you want to surround yourself with people who are positive, find a person with a passion. It doesn’t even have to be related to anything you are passionate about, but it can be more beneficial if it is. Passionate people have goals and they are fully committed to them. Passionate people are excited and just exude happiness. It is hard to shut someone who is passionate up about their passion, and that is a beautiful thing. A person who is passionate about anything just radiates good energy even when they are faced with challenges. This passionate person values their time and if they choose to spend time with you, you can guarantee it will be worthwhile because they don’t have time to waste. When you leave your interaction with that passionate person you likely have a smile on your face and are rethinking your life and your goals because just hearing them talk about their passion makes you question your own.
People Who Challenge You Because They Are Better Than You
Nobody likes being the dumbest in a room, but it can actually be a good thing. If you have goals that you want to reach in the fire service, find people who have met those goals already and befriend them. Being around people who are smarter and more experienced than you allows you to learn from them. They can motivate you to get to where they are. They are a constant reminder of where you want to be and can likely help you get there. Being around people who are smarter than you and can challenge you, in everything not just fire service, can give you the motivation you need to keep going after your challenging goals.
People Achieving Their Goals
If you have goals you must surround yourself with other people who have goals and are actually achieving them or making active steps toward reaching their goals. Being around the person who gives up when things get hard, or doesn’t even have a goal to begin with is going to bring you down. This can be really hard because it could mean you need to spend less time with people you really care about because they bring you down. If someone sucks the energy and motivation out of you it may be time to limit your contact with that person. So many people are just stuck in the everyday life routine, but if you want more out of life and your career you have to break away from that safe routine and seek more for yourself. You need to be around people who are constantly improving and growing if you want to do the same.
People Who Are Humble
A truly humble person is a good person. Being humble is an amazing attribute, especially for someone who wants to be a leader in the fire service. They know their strengths, but also their weaknesses. A humble person is not afraid to ask for help when they are struggling. They hold themselves accountable for their actions. They are not doing what they are doing in life for attention; they are doing it because they love it, nothing more. They have confidence in themselves but it never reaches the point of cockiness. They do not judge others, but empathize with them. The more you are around someone who is humble the more likely you will become more humble which will only help advance your career. I guarantee you leave an interaction with a truly humble person feeling good but also asking yourself how you can be more like them.
The Takeaway
The people you surround yourself with matter. Whether you want to admit it or not, you feed off of the energy of others. Surround yourself with people who are trying to do more with their life and their careers as you begin your journey to promote in the fire service. You will end up feeling more motivated than ever and chase after your goals even harder.