Your Friends, Your Library, Your Life

The late Charlie "Tremendous" Jones once said, "You are the same today as you will be in five years except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read."

If you're not 100% happy with your business or your life, take time today to make changes in one or both of these areas:

1. The people you spend most of your time with
2. The books you read every week

1. Who are the five people you spend most of your time with?

Write their names down. Now, tough question: Who is the "weakest link"? Resolve to replace that toxic person with a new, positive association. (If it's your spouse, replace someone else for now -- I'm not a marriage counselor.)

Example tactics: You might recruit someone you admire to join a new business-building group that you volunteer to organize. Or you can replace one person with a new class of people -- stop having lunch with one negative "friend" and start having lunch with your best clients.

2. What books do you read?

Try to read at least one book in your field every week. You can get through 25 books in only 6 months -- enough to make you an expert in almost any area.

Example tactic: Declare your intention to a friend or family member, to hold yourself accountable. Or tell the world and blog about it.