5 Reasons Why Toxic Friends Are Holding You Back

5 Reasons Why Toxic Friends Are Holding You Back

Do the people you spend the most time with negatively impact your life?

Are certain friends dragging you down?

Would your life be better if you severed ties with someone in your inner circle?

99% of your success is determined by your connections.

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” ~Jim Rohn

Think about who those five people are.

Are you happy with what that average looks like?

Or concerned?

Harvard did a 20-year study that proved your physical health is determined more by the relationships you keep than what you eat, your fitness routine, or the genes you inherited.

Proof that your future is greatly determined by who you keep around.

I want you to think about the people you spend the most time with and evaluate how they impact your life.

If you want to win in life, you have to be mindful of who you associate with.

Let’s discuss five reasons why toxic friends are holding you back.

5 Reasons Why Toxic Friends Are Holding You Back

Toxic friends won’t understand or support your goals.

Toxic friends tend to have a poverty mindset and no goals.

Chances are, they are living day-to-day by the seat of their pants, with no real plan.

They just let life happen for them.

Let’s say you have lunch with this toxic friend and tell her how excited you are about starting your own business.

You’re likely to get a blank stare, or maybe even discouragement.

Because why would someone with a poverty mindset think you can actually start your own business and be successful?

They can’t see past the limitations they place on their own life, so they’re not going to see past the limitations they think exist in yours.

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They are only in it for themselves.

Toxic friends tend to only reach out to you when they want or need something and could care less about what’s going on in your life.

I know that’s harsh, but I learned this through my own experiences dealing with these types of people.

They often need money or ask to borrow your car or pay for their dinner.

Behind this need is someone who puts in as little work as possible and barely gets by in life, by their own choosing.

They want everything handed to them, playing the victim to get what they want from people.

If your friendship is contingent upon what you can give the other person, it’s probably time to step away.

Related:

They are jealous of your victories.

If your friend gets jealous when anything good happens to you, it’s definitely time to jump ship.

Jealousy is caused by fear and insecurity.

When you have something good happen to you, they feel insignificant as a result of deep-rooted insecurities. They make your victory mean something bad about them.

They will not be happy for you when you get married or get promoted.

If your friend can’t be happy for you, they are no friend at all.

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Their bad habits will rub off on you.

“Birds of a feather flock together.”

Surround yourself with like-minded people.

Like-minded people are likely (no pun intended) to have the good habits you want to emulate.

They’ll serve to encourage you when you’re having a rough day and keep you from succumbing to bad habits.

If you’re hanging out with someone who goes to the bar every night or can’t hold a job, they aren’t going to support you in your goals.

Bad habits of others rub off on you whether you realize it or not.

You will be dragged down to their level sooner or later if you don’t keep them at a distance.

Related:

They surround themselves with other toxic people.

“You are the company you keep.”

Well…toxic people keep the company of other toxic people.

You do not want to be around when your toxic friend is surrounded by their other toxic friends.

At a minimum, it’s awkward and uncomfortable. You won’t have anything in common with these people, and therefore won’t know what to talk about with them.

Or worse, it could be potentially dangerous. Toxic people tend to have a poor judge of character and trust the wrong people.

How to Sever Ties

Disclaimer: I don’t think you should just spontaneously dump any friends who aren’t a good fit for you.

Depending on circumstances, the solution could be one of two different options.

Distance Yourself

Depending on the level of toxicity this friend brings to your life, you don’t necessarily have to cut them out of your life entirely.

Should you choose to distance yourself from them, you don’t need to confront them or do anything, really. Just stop reaching out or exerting much effort.

Chances are, the friendship will fade into the background. You don’t have to cut them out entirely or even delete them off your social media (but maybe un-follow their updates, depending on what they post.)

Distancing yourself from someone is a good idea for toxic friends who have negative attitudes and think life just happens for them. They don’t have goals and might have a few bad habits.

Sever Ties

In some cases, a confrontation is needed while in other cases, you can block their number, block them on social media, etc.

You don’t owe them an explanation.

Sever ties when your toxic friend hangs out with other toxic and possibly dangerous people. When she’s constantly in “crisis mode” aka can’t hold a job, has no money, makes bad decisions, etc. If she get jealous when good things happen to you and tries to bring you down to make herself feel better. When she’s always asking for money or to borrow your car or pay for dinner.

How have you dealt with toxic friends? Do you currently have a toxic person in your life you need to sever ties with?

My mission is to serve you and I want to know what you want to hear about! So hit the “reply” button and let me know. ?

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Lisa

Hi! I'm Lisa. I help women live purposeful, fulfilling and joyful lives. I'm happily married and a fur mom to two boxers and two rabbits. I love Jesus, freelance writing, fitness, personal development, reading books, football, cross-stitching, and video games.