Improvement story: You are the average of the five people

Improvement story: You are the average of the five people 

It’s often said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” The challenge is that higher circles won’t accept you immediately, and if you push too hard, you risk losing your current circle too. 😃

In 9th grade at Jai-Hind High School, Pune, I used to rank between 25th and 35th in my class (which was among the top students in a peer group of 500). One of my peers, Preet Kaur, once challenged me to beat her in the next exam. She didn’t succeed, but not because I became better but since I as well as she remained in the same ranks as prior (27th, while she was around 35th).

I had 1-2 friends from the top-performing group, but I wasn’t part of their inner study circle. Although they would have welcomed me, my study discussions were not on their level, so there was no wavelength match.

At the start of 10th grade, I began putting in extra study time. To my surprise, I ranked 5th in the class. In Science 1 exam paper, my teacher appreciated an approach I took to solve a question. This led to a change in my social circle since the top performing students asked me about the approach. Now, my wavelength started matching with the studious group, and I began spending more time with the top students.

To rise above your current level, you must put in the extra effort first. Without that effort, attempting to join the top circle will only lead to a quick fall back.