Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas.

My dad used a saying when I was young that always frustrated me. It was not until my mid-twenties that I began to truly understand the importance of what he was saying to me. When my choices were not the best I could make, or more significantly, when those choices would get me in trouble, Dad repeated the favorite quote of a judge that he knew from his years in police work. When that judge had people in his courtroom that would blame their plight on others, he would say to them: "Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas". Although this saying did a great deal to insight the rolling of my eyes when I was young, as I continue to learn more in my life, I realize the importance of this lesson.

I have another mentor who taught me another principle that helped me to learn the significance of my dads lesson. Tim Green - Certified Trainer with Referral Institute of Michigan first exposed me to the concept presented by Jim Rohn: "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with". Out of necessity in business, I began to consider that concept. During that period of consideration, I was able to connect the message and lesson I had learned from my dad at such a young age: Lie Down With Dogs, Get Up With Fleas.