I read an article a few years back about how your character is greatly influenced by the 5 people you spend the most time with. If you looked at those 5 people and didn’t like the characteristics they exhibited, perhaps you needed to upgrade the people you choose to spend your time with. Every year, those 5 people change slightly, but I like to do the effort of thinking hard about the 5 people that I interact with the most, and turns out, the best parts of those 5 people are pretty great, even when I shake up the people on my list. So I looked at the 10 people with whom I interact the most, and they’re all pretty great, too. In fact, the sphere of influence of the 25 or 50 people with whom I interact most often really does stack the deck for me. This Advent, may I reflect out into the world the best attributes that my friends and family share with me. This Advent may the collective strength of my circle of influence make a difference in the lives of everyone we interact with. This Advent may the influence of those around me make me a better person.