Over the last 15 years my wife and I have had to good fortune to travel throughout Guatemala. We’ve come to love its people and also its cuisine. One of our favorite things is a small spicy green pepper called chiltepe, it adds a unique flair to just about anything. After tasting the chiltepe we returned to Miami and could not find that pepper anywhere. So, the next time we traveled to Guatemala, my wife brought back some chiltepe seeds and planted them, but for some reason they did not grow. So, on our next trip, she brought back some more seeds and planted them and they did not grow either. We later discovered that the chiltepe pepper simply can’t grow outside of its environment.

When it comes to personal growth, your intentions may be good but your environment may be wrong. I continually counsel people seeking to grow financially, physically, relationally or spiritually. They come to me with good intentions but they can’t grow because they are in the wrong environments. The problem for them is that, just like with seeds, it’s impossible to grow outside of the proper environment. Just like with plants, they need to grow in the right soil and live in the right climate.

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. – Proverbs 13:20 NIV

According to a study conducted by a social psychologist at Harvard University, the people that you consistently associate with are your “reference group.” After extensive research the study concluded that these people will determine up to 95% of your successes or failures. In other words, the people you chose to do life with will determine the direction and quality of your life.

If you want to reach your full potential you need to understand that your environment is an essential part of growing. And, the most significant factor in a person’s environment is the people he or she surrounds themselves with. In any area that you’d like to reach your fullest potential, chose to associate with people who will help you to make the necessary changes and will help you grow. So, make a list of the people you spend the most time with. Then look through your list and determine which ones are helping you grow and which ones are hindering your growth. Always remember that wise people produce wise people, but walking with fools will eventually cause you harm.

Heavenly Father, your word clearly alerts me to the importance of wisely choosing the people with whom I will spend the majority of my time. Help me to determine who is contributing to my growth in order to create the right environment and who are the ones impeding it. Thank you for the opportunity I have through your teachings to have that full life that you have for me, reaching my maximum potential.