There's a saying with a couple different variations but basically it goes along the lines of "show me your friends and I'll show you your future." And I never really knew what that meant but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me.

You are who you hang out with. You may not think so, but when who you associate with is who you become. Your friends influence you on everything from what music you listen to, to the choices you make, to the way you carry yourself.

You may have a couple friends who you think oh, I'm not like them. You could be a great kid but hanging out with the wrong crowd can change that real quick. If you're the only one in your friend group who has actual goals and aspirations, then you probably won't accomplish them. If you want to go to med school but only hang out with people who didn't even graduate high school, then you may have a problem there. Your friends should be people who motivate you to push yourself further than you thought you could go.

Surround yourself with those who you look up to and want to be like, because chances are if you're around them enough then you'll pick up things from them. You become them. You become your friends. Surround yourself with people who uplift you and who have a positive outlook on life.

People notice who you choose to surround yourself and a lot of times will judge you based off of that. Is it always right? No, but more times than not, it's pretty accurate. Who you hang out with is a direct correlation to the kind of person you are. If you hang out with people who are kind and have good hearts, outsiders are going to look at you and think you also are kind with a good heart. However, the opposite side of the spectrum can be true too; if you hang out with people who have bad intentions, outsiders looking in will assume you have bad intentions as well.

While at the end of the day, we all are our own people who can make our own decisions, we are ultimately influenced the most by our friends and peers and that's what can either make or break you.