Who are my Friends?

Are your friends a good thing to be around or a bad?  That is the question of the day.  I love my friends, I would do anything for my friends.  But, often I think about the choices in what my friends do and do I go along with the gang?

My girlfriend got me on my fitness kick.  She wanted to lose some baby weight and got me to go run with her once a week.  Our treat, was to follow that run by dinner at Applebee's where we chose a dinner item off the Weight Watcher menu section.  This girlfriend and I were on a mission together, to lose the weight and get back into shape.  Running and our little dinner reward was a common bond.  Brought us closer together and help keep us motivated.  She was a positive choice in my life.  Her influence got me into my routine and just lite that fire in me that is still burning today.

Then there is the other group of friends.  They are the ones who go out for happy hour.  They chose to have a few drinks, maybe some chicken wings or bar food.  Those are the people that are having fun.  But, they are also the ones on focused on their body!  I tend to distance myself from those friends when it comes to the drinking and partying.  Not that I am now the anti-social person, not that I still don't love my friends.  I just decided that my goal to a slimmer fitter me is a big focus and going to the bar for happy hour is just to tempting to cheat.  It can be to hard to stay focused on the goal, when everyone else is "doing it".  

This can go for a lot of different situations, do you go to the movies with a friend that you know will immediately go for the popcorn, soda and candy.  Or do you choose the friend who has the bottle of water and just wants to watch the movie?

It's great when I can influence my friends to a healthier lifestyle.  But, there are often certain events I turn away from because it's just not in my plan!  Maybe that means as I continue down my path I need to find more friends with the same focus, the same goals.  The ones who rather get up and go for a bike ride after work verses the one heading our for happy hour!  

Sit back and see who you surround yourself with?  Are they the overweight people who have candy and junk in their desk drawer, or are they the thin and fit who snack on apples in the middle of the day.  Are they the people who go to McDonald's for lunch are a place where they sit and eat a healthy salad?  

Now consider how these people influence your daily decisions?  Also think about how you can influence theirs?