Although Nick didn't follow above advice, he is still a good man and still does great things. After all he took me off streets, gave me a home and taught me lessons from his past.

Like Nick, many people don't realize that wealth by association works same as guilt.

When asked how he intends on being America's first black billionaire, Don King said, "By hanging around other billionaires!"

The truth of matter is that whether you want to learn something significant or learn to be more successful, people you associate with are probably going to be one of major keys to your success. I'm sure you've heard countless stories about those "lucky" people who gained wealth and success through others who were more successful at time. I've personally heard and learned about many such stories.

Association is one of reasons that many people pay big bucks to me mentored by very successful people.

The "Key" reason people do this is: In order to get what you want or learn what you want you must go to source.

Find a personal or business mentor or coach and learn everything you can from them then apply it.

The other part of success by association is that you will generally attain average success and/or wealth of your 10 closest friends. The reason for this is that by associating with people who are more successful or wealthier, you are then able to tap into their intellectual, spiritual or financial resources.

That my friend, is an enormously critical success factor. To see an example of this, look at marketing online or offline. You will see that people and businesses often associate themselves with each other (one being more successful than other) to build both credibility and wealth.

Apply Success By Association Principle to your business and life, then buckle up for ride!

*** Rasheed Ali was once a homeless runaway on the streets of NY and is now dedicated to helping people from all walks of life to reach their ultimate potential by conquering any and all obstacles through his Conquer Your Adversity Newsletter. You can subscribe at http://www.RasheedAli.com ***

Self-awareness occurs as you better understand your own thoughts and feelings. You are then better able to understand thoughts and feelings of someone else. The more open we are to our own feelings, more skilled we become at reading someone else’s feelings, and generally less angry we feel toward them.

Acceptance, on other hand, is ability to see that others have a right to their “ridiculous” feelings. We must allow people to have feelings without telling them how they should feel. W cannot stop others from having feelings.

Empathic people understand that feelings are difficult to control. When we accept others as they are, it simply means that we understand that they are doing best they can at time. Remember, if they could do any better, they probably would.

Acceptance of others’ feelings is not easy when people act differently than we do. We all have difficulty with those who are different. By learning skill of empathy, we will be better able to understand ourselves and others.

Here are five simple rules to be more empathetic.

1.Pay attention to feelings that others express. Watch for both verbal and nonverbal clues. Try to understand message behind words and actions.

2.Place feelings of other’s ahead of your own. Put aside your own needs and ideas long enough to listen to another’s point of view.

3.Communicate your understanding. Respond or give answers to messages you receive to show you understand them.

4.Do not interrupt. Let speakers finish what they are saying before you talk.

5.Ask for more information. If you still don’t understand, ask more questions until you fully understand.