Power of peer groups

 One of my friend would often quote the Roger Bannister Phenomenon. Basically until Roger broke the 4 min mile record, people thought it was an unachievable feat. Once he broke, it was like floodgates opened and people started running the mile under less than 4 minutes.

You basically need someone else to show that can be done and everyone thinks it is doable.

It plays out more than ever we could ever imagine or observe.

Think about the following

In certain ecosytems, you would do see a lot of people doing the similar or same thing. Going to the same foreign country for job prospects. Schools sending the kids to a particular college, people from the same college starting successful firms and so on.

As they say, you are an average of 5 people whom you spend time with. 

Though I have heard and have seen this behavior (For e.g I have seen people preparing for Masters in US or applying for specific companies or doing MBA cause their peers were doing) Yet, I was pleasantly surprised to realize I haven't internalized it as much as I should have and was genuinely surprised to see it in action.

For e.g I meet my writing mentor occasionally like once in a blue moon and every time I see him, he would be like you would not continue to write as you are not moving in a circles and as a result you would not be motivated to write. No drive no inspiration and all that, I used to think, he is little upset I am not in touch with him.

However, in recent times, (well not so recent) I started playing wordle. Well, I started playing cause most of people I knew were playing it. Once I started playing other games in NY times app,  others too started playing and it was becoming like a friendly competition. The most interesting thing was, when i played strands, i would use hints and when I saw others not using and solving it, I also started doing the same. I was terrible in connections (I am still) but when i started seeing others solving at ease, even my solve rate has increased before that. 

It is just games in an app yet there is a powerful lesson in human behavior. 

If we see others doing things, we think and believe we too could do the same. 

So it all depends where you are, what you see and what you end up imbibing. 

If you are in a high achievers group, you too are motivated the same way. The irony is, let us say if you are not in high achiever group, the odds of you falling down to the group level than you raising the level of the group is very less.

beware of your peer group. beware of whom you spend your time with and interact with. Talent density matters.

As the cliched saying goes, if you are the smartest in the room, then you are in the wrong room...