People are greatly influenced by their environment.

When you hang out with a group of slacker students and everyone else is playing while you're not, you stand out as an outsider. But when you're with a group of straight-A students and everyone else is studying while you're not, you're still the odd one out.

Flocks of a feather flock together. If you want to become a certain type of person, the simplest and most effective way is to immerse yourself in that environment.

Throughout history, why have the elite always been organized together instead of being scattered? Because breaking them up doesn't work. If 80% of a team is timid, the remaining 20% won't be brave either. On the flip side, if 80% of a team is courageous, even the 20% who are naturally not brave will get carried along and become courageous. That's precisely why grouping elite individuals together is far more effective than dispersing them. In other words, if you want to become someone, you need to actively gravitate toward people like them—even if it means pushing through discomfort.