Keeping the Circle Small - and Tight

As the new year begins to settle, I’ve been thinking about circles.

Who we keep close.
Who we trust.
Who really knows where we stand and what we stand for.

As life moves forward, something subtle tends to happen.

Peripheral relationships fall away.

Not through conflict.
Not through drama.
Just, distance.

For a long time, we’ve been taught to see that as loss.
I don’t think it is.

It’s renewal.

Like a snake shedding its skin, this isn’t about rejecting the past. It’s about making room for who you’ve become and what matters now.

That doesn’t mean we should abandon long friendships when journeys drift apart.

Some bonds stretch. Some lie dormant. Some pick up again years later, unchanged.

But time, energy, and attention are all finite.

So is love.

Before we go any further, let’s take a moment to debrief together:

Who are the few people you can be completely honest with right now?
Who really has your back?
Who matters the most?

And just as important - who no longer needs to be in the inner circle, even if there’s no ill will there?

No judgement.
Just signal.

I was once reminded by Kevin Sinfield that ‘we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with’.

Our standards don’t exist in isolation.
They’re shaped, reinforced, or eroded by the people closest to us.

That’s why keeping the circle small and tight isn’t about exclusion.

It’s about alignment.

Shared values.
Mutual trust.
A sense that you’re pulling in the same direction, even when life throws you that curveball.

This is where knowing who you are becomes inseparable from knowing who you keep close.

Your mission this week:
Take an honest look at your inner circle.
Notice who sharpens you, steadies you, and holds the line with you.

Then ask yourself one quiet question:
Am I showing up for them as fully as they show up for me?

That’s enough for now.
More next Sunday.

Mike
Hold the line. Do the hard things.