Spend More Time With People Better Than You

I am sure many have experienced this interesting phenomenon, particularly in the context of sports.

You are playing a game of Tennis or Badminton with someone significantly better at the sport than you are. You may lose the game to the other person eventually, but something strange happens in the process. You play the game at a level higher than your baseline competence. Some kind of osmosis effect comes from the other player that makes you raise your game. Playing against someone better than you makes your game better.

We experience this same effect across multiple spheres of our lives. When you are in the presence of a brilliant person, you find yourself operating more intelligently. This phenomenon occurs on the negative side too. When you spend too much time with someone who plays small, you start playing small yourself.

If you want to improve and grow, you should intentionally spend more time with people who are better than you. At the same time, be very careful not to spend too much time with people who behave worse than you. They will drag you down.