Rich Roll talks about a quote he feels is often overlooked: you are the five people you spend the most time with. He also talks to Chris Williamson about addiction, its effects and lower companions or friends that hold you back.
Rich Roll is a Stanford University and Cornell Law School graduate, bestselling author, accomplished vegan ultra-endurance athlete and former entertainment attorney. He is not a full-time wellness & plant-based nutrition advocate and popular public speaker.
In this podcast episode, Rich Roll talks about his addiction and how it is easy to find lower companions while in active addiction. You will always find people dealing with the same addiction issue to give you the stamp of approval on your behavior.
“Your higher companions, your good friends, the people who love you who have your best interest at heart, start to flee from the hills, and you begin to search out other people who are vibrating at your wavelength.”
The reason most addicts end up with lower companions who are also in active addiction is because addiction gets lonely. Over time, loved ones stop associating with the person in active addiction, forcing them to fill the void with ‘friends’ who seem to understand. Often, these friends are also people in active addiction. This is especially common among individuals who are not ready to accept that they have an addiction problem and are looking for others to validate their experience.
“You’re going to find people who are going to co-sign whatever Behavior it is.”
Rich and Chris also touched on the fact that the idea of a lower companion does not only affect people with an addiction. Even in real life, hanging out with people who do not have your best interest at heart can negatively impact your life.
“I think that even for people that don’t have a substance addiction dependency, the idea of people who don’t have your best interests at heart, who don’t make you show up as your better self, the self that you wish that you were more of the time I think there’s something to take from that.”
Rich Roll says that a lower companion does not have to be someone with visible vices and is not the best person to befriend. Sometimes, these lower companions are people you spend your days with.
“It’s not necessarily a bad influence it’s just uh at best neutral or perhaps somebody who’s insidiously but very gradually undermining the quality of that contact.”
It is essential for people to actively determine who they want to surround themselves with. The only way to avoid lower companions or people who do not push you to become your best self is to seek out higher companions. These are people doing better than you, people with more knowledge than you and mostly people in positions you aspire to reach.
“Each and every one of us in our community is surrounded by people that are wiser than us in various ways people that can help us. And the nature of that Community can be crafted and cultivated by you with a little mindful intention.”
“You can engage with the people around you from a place of Greater mindfulness and exercise some discretion about the people that you’re spending time with and not just go with the flow because these are the dudes in the locker room.”
Check out this other blog post where Rich Roll – endurance legend – explains how he got fit when he was a fat, drunk, stressed-out 40-year-old.
Mensgroup.com is an online men-only support forum where men can meet higher companions who will encourage and give helpful advice to help them become the best version of themselves.
