Yesterday, I went on a hike to an abandoned village somewhere near the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. One of the people leading the hike is also a physical trainer. At the end of the hike, he was telling the group about how he had lost ten kilos over the past few months.

He spoke of his diet and his workout routines. But he also mentioned another important thing that had played a big role in his transformation.

His core circle of friends now were all hikers. This meant that they were all people who paid attention to their fitness levels, to their diets and their workout routines as well.

This made it a lot easier for him to stick to his goals than revert back to his prior lifestyle of eating unhealthy food often and not dedicating enough time to working out.

Had his core circle of friends been of the latter kind, then it would have been much harder for him to be a part of that circle and pursue his fitness goals at the same time. He had to shed his group and find a new one that was more amenable to his goals.

It has never been easier to find a group of people that have a similar set of interests as you than it is now.

If you are struggling to make progress on something or are struggling to build a habit you want to, join a group of people that are trying to do the same thing. Then, you'll have an additional motivation of wanting to fit in.

At the same time, recognise when your current groups are holding you back from what you want to achieve, and shed them if you have to.