Originally Posted by
stella27 
I also like to surround myself with friends who are smarter than I am so that I can learn something, be inspired, reach upward.
Whenever I hear someone say something like this I get a shocking pain in my stomach! Why would you ever think there is someone out there smarter than you and that you should spend time with them to "progress"? It's like that awful saying "out of my league" when someone is romantically interested in someone they think is better than them. I don't understand that at all.
No one is better than you or worse than you. Give yourself a little credit. Progression will only come from the changes you make
within you, not by hanging out with "smarter" people. The key is to just ensure the people you do spend time with are positive and forward-thinking so you are in a relaxed environment with fewer obstacles, and that is more conducive to moving forward.