It’s been said that you are the average of the five people closest to you. Your relationships influence significantly whether you develop or deteriorate as a human being. Think about the positive relationships that you’ve had in your life — how have they impacted you in terms of your happiness, your health and your wealth? And what about some of the negative relationships — how in those relationships did they pull you down and reduce your motivation and zest for life?

Tom Peters says that all we have, as in all, personally or professionally, is the quality of our relationships.

I think relationships are like playing Snakes and Ladders. There are those relationships that when you step into them, they elevate your self-esteem, purpose or joy (ladders). And there are others that when you step into them, they bite, create poison and result in pain (snakes). I think we need to have strategic relational awareness, which is the conscious choice of positioning people in your life for personal growth and happiness.

There are usually three types of people in your life:

1. Positive — These people are the ones who encourage you, develop you and result in positive outcomes (ladders). You need to increase these.

2. Neutral — These are the people who have similar problems as you and similar money, and you generally have a good time with them (ladders). You need to maintain these.

3. Negative — These are the people who pull you down, reduce your energy and sap your desires (snakes). You need to potentially decrease these relationships.

So if relationships were a game of Snakes and Ladders, are you moving up or down?