Eleanor once said, “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people.”

Think about the people who you surround yourself with consistently.

What do they typically talk about?

Maybe they are positive, uplifting, driven, creative, and encouraging.

If they are, stay glued to those people. Literally.

If they always talk about other people, especially in a negative light, it might be good to “un-glue” yourself from them.

Here is why.

When you surround yourself with others who talk poorly of others, the negative energy within them begins to sneak inside of your body and mind.

You can’t see this energy because it is invincible.

Soon, your demeanor, how you communicate with others, and how you view things in life, begin to change.

Your mind and the quality of your thoughts change.

Your mental health changes.

And change, not for the better.

You may or may not be aware of this occurring… which is the scary part.

But, now that you are reading this, you are probably realizing this predicament.

Here is the deal.

You don’t have to surround yourself with these types of people.

You have the choice of who you surround yourself with.

Crazy right?

Ok, so you might be thinking.

What does this have to do with hunting?

To me, this quote is crucial for the hunting community to be aware of.

Often, I see hunters talk poorly about other hunters.

Which is weird to me.

A few thoughts come to mind when I witness this:

• Would Fred Bear, one of the greatest hunters of all time, approve of this mindset?
• What are we hoping to achieve when we talk like this?

It seems that a large sum of the negative words being expressed has to do with not using the right gear, making fun of others for not working hard, not agreeing with the shooting technique, and so on.

It doesn’t matter what the topic of negative words is because, in the end, they are negative towards someone who is involved in the same lifestyle as you.

My thoughts are this may not be a great path to be on.

I would think we would want to represent this meaningful and worthwhile lifestyle to the best of our abilities.

Not only to show good character within the hunting community.

But to also set up the next generation of hunters for success by being a good role model.

So, from here on out, make the change.

Talk less about other people in a negative light.

Talk more about ideas on how to elevate the hunting community through solutions, products, and conservation.

In turn, the hunting community flourishes, your health is better which means you experience more hunting, and this life will become tenfold more pleasant.

That’s what Fred Bear would like to hear.