We let the world dictate who we spend time with and what input we allow in, rarely stopping to consider the effects it’s having on us
“Input” is anything from the outside world that influences your mood, mindset, and emotional state. It includes the media you consume, the books you read, the podcasts and music you listen to, and the movies and shows you watch. But it also encompasses much more: the environment you live and work in, the conversations you have, the people you surround yourself with, and the events, personal or global, that unfold around you.
Think about how different you feel after a weekend in nature versus a week of doom-scrolling social media. That contrast is input at work.
But not all input is created equal.
The Most Influential Input: People
Motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Harvard researcher Dr. David McClelland echoed that sentiment, asserting that “The people you habitually associate with determine as much as 95% of your success or failure in life.”
It’s something many of us heard growing up. I know my parents constantly asked who I was with and what kind of influence my friends had. Chances are, yours did too.
Yet somehow, as adults, we stop being intentional about this. We become passive. We let the world dictate who we spend time with and what input we allow in, rarely stopping to consider the effects it’s having on us.
Your Output Reflects Your Input
The relationship between what we take in and what we put out is undeniable. When our input is empowering, our output tends to be focused, energized, and constructive. But when our input is negative, toxic, or fear-based, we unconsciously project that into the world as well, through our mood, decisions, and interactions.
And here’s where it gets more impactful: your output becomes someone else’s input.
It’s a ripple effect. If you’re in a bad headspace and bring that energy into a meeting or a family dinner, you influence everyone else’s state, too. Their mood drops, their output suffers, and before you know it, that negativity circles back to you, reinforcing your original state.
This feedback loop doesn’t just impact individuals, it can alter the tone of entire communities, workplaces, even movements.
Leadership Is Shaped by Input
Some of history’s most influential leaders, think Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., didn’t wield conventional power. They didn’t lead corporations or command armies. What they did possess was the ability to influence through powerful output. Their words, presence, and vision became input that uplifted, stirred, and mobilized others.
They understood how to shift emotions and energy. Their speeches didn’t just inform, they transformed. And that transformation started with their own internal state.
So, what can we learn from that?
We need to become more intentional about what we allow into our minds and environments. Input matters. It shapes everything.
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