Student DC: The Rule of Five

Even if you have graduated, think about the Rule of Five and the five people you spent the most time with

In the immortal words of Jim Rohn, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Jim Rohn is the most influential motivational speaker of our time. He really started the motivational speaker movement and is regarded as one of the greats. He has passed away, but he is the one who gave Anthony Robbins a chance and taught him everything he knows.

I was reading this quote the other day and realized how important it is to students as well. Jim expands on this topic and gets very specific as well. He states, and I agree, that your income will be very close to the average of the five people you spend the most time with. So, if your five closest friends average $50,000 a year, your income will likely be very close to that number. If we are taking averages here, think how adding just one high earner to that top five can really boost your average.

The Rule of Five and student grades

Since this article is for students though, lets think about your grades. How about your five closest friends at chiropractic college? Even if you have graduated, think about the five students you spent the most time with. Now, think about the average grade they received. I bet it was pretty close to your average as well.

This is why your parents and all parents are so concerned about who your friends are. They may not know this rule about the five people, but parents instinctively know that you become like your friends. This is why they probably told you not to hang out with a certain kid in school. In my example before about income, the same applies for grades. So, if you’re a group of B students, but you bring in one F student into the group, your whole average may drop to a B minus. The inverse is true as well. Imagine your friends’ group is a bunch of C students, but someone leaves the group, and an A-plus student enters. Now your whole average may go up to a B minus.

So, why are we talking about this for student DCs? I want you to start being intentional about this, it will set-up your entire life. So now, while in school, consider who your spending the most time with. Is it with people that will be successful down the road, are they getting good grades? Think about where you are hanging out — this is the reason people pay to join country clubs, to hang around high earners. Where are you hanging out? The local dive bar? Maybe we need to raise the bar on who we are spending time with and where.

The Rule of Five and life

This Rule of Five applies all throughout life. It’s very important to evaluate who is in your five. Is there someone now who you shouldn’t be spending as much time with? Maybe it is time to upgrade. When you are thinking about averages, just one outlier can drastically change the average. Even in a group of mediocre grades, one high achiever will bring the whole average up.

Often people ask if this means they have to get rid of people. Or what do I do if my parents are negative, or brother, uncle, etc. The rule states the five you spend the most time with, you will be become the average of. So, just don’t cut out family, just minimize the time. Maybe your really negative uncle, you only see at Christmas and Easter. Or the one friend at chiropractic school, maybe you don’t go to bar with them every Friday, you just see him at parties once a month.

I want you to start thinking intentionally about who you spend your most time with, because you will become just like them.