There are terrific nuggets of wisdom and effective how-to insight provided by each of the posts responding to your inquiry. Keep putting yourself in situations where you can connect with people who meet your needs for being your true, best self.

The responses to your inquiry made me think more deeply about a list of self-study topics that represent some of the themes shown in each of the responses.

I’ve learned over time that I need to ensure first that I’m the type of person people want to connect with on a deep, personal level and in an authentic manner which actively demonstrates mutual trust and respect in all ways.

To become the type of person people want to connect with, I’ve consistently sought out growth and development, and then change and transformation, through self-study of the following topics:

– Elegance (i.e., how I interact with others via my behaviors)
– Mindfulness and Presence
– Mental/Emotional/Spiritual Intelligence
– Thoughtfulness and Action
– Behavioral Competencies
– Personal Core Values
– Self-Love
– Self-Actualization (see Abraham Maslow’s 12 characteristics)

It’s my personal core values that help me seek out and partner with the right people for me. I only seek relationships, whether platonic or non-platonic, which are mutually beneficial and make me greater based on being with someone who makes me stronger than I could ever be individually. Essentially, we’re much stronger together than we could ever be apart. I focus on quality over quantity and keep a small circle of close friends.

There’s a theory that “We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.” The theory isn’t meant to demean or discount others. It simply suggests that we need to ensure we always have the right, authentic people by our side to become the best version of ourselves. Smartness, talent, skills, station in life, or family bloodline don’t matter. Certain others will help determine how we think, how we act, and ultimately how successful we are at reaching a level of greatness and our true, best self.

I hope the journey to finding your true, best self and becoming your best version leads to a satisfying, happy, and fulfilling life.