how to Harness The Proximity Effect to Improve Any Part of Life

how to Harness The Proximity Effect to Improve Any Part of Life

If the proximity effect dictates we’re going to become like the people around us without much say in the matter, then you, as a Smart Riskologist know you must carefully monitor the one input you do control:
You must be careful who and what you allow close to you.
The proximity effect is not just something to be wary of. Instead, it can be harnessed to improve your life. If hanging around people with bad habits will cause you to develop bad habits yourself, then the opposite is also true: spending time around people with good habits will cause you to develop good habits as well.
If you’re a timid person, it’s probably because you spend the bulk of your time with others who mirror that same personality trait. If you want to be more adventurous, you need to find adventurous people to hang out with. Maybe go to the rock climbing gym one day a week or join an outdoor Meetup Group.
Want to start a business and become self-employed? It’ll be hard to do from inside a cubicle surrounded by other people in other cubicles. To improve your odds of actually starting, find a friend who’s self-employed or has started businesses before. Search your city for a local entrepreneurs get-together (most major cities have many).
If you have horrible eating habits and you don’t exercise, you’ve probably but a circle of close friends that do the same. If you want to change that, you have to change the amount of time you spend with that group and find another set of friends that eat well and do exercise. Opportunities to find people like this are easier than you think.
In many cases, you hardly need to worry about doing the actual thing you want to do. Instead, focus your effort on finding people who already do that thing and become their friend.
Thanks to the proximity effect, that thing will most likely become a regular part of your life. This strategy can be used in great combination with identity based habits.