There's an old saying that is amazingly accurate: "Birds of a feather flock together."

There's a coffee shop I drop in at from time to time -- a gathering place for the farming and ranching communities of this small town. What's interesting is that the coffee shop is decidedly divided.

Depending on your perspective on life, you sit on one side of the room or the other. I suppose some would argue it's a political divide, but the reality is it's more a division based on perspective.

• The one group consists of the optimists -- they're excited about the future, talking about expanding and of doing things a better way. They're passionate about the future and it shows.
  
• You could term the second group as pessimists -- they see the past as being much better than the future. They're as passionate as the optimists, but they believe the system is broken and their future rests on changing the system first.

What a difference those perspectives make. The one group seemingly is doing quite well; the other is struggling. They're both creating a reality that aligns with their beliefs. That's what is so ironic -- both sides are 100% correct in their views, and they validate them every day.

I sat down the other day and listened to the conversations occurring on each side of the room, and realized just how determinative membership in these viewpoints was relative to what was going to happen for them in 2008.

The greatest opening of any book may have been written by Charles Dickens in his book; "A Tale Of Two Cities": -- "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Take a moment and ask yourself, "Which flock am I in, and where is my flock really headed?"

Have you ever noticed, in whatever profession you look at, how close-knit the fraternity is at the very top, and at the bottom for that matter? Or how often do you read about a group of friends since childhood who went on to achieve huge success in vastly different areas?

There's a reason for that. One group believes in possibility, which encourages one to unleash his/her potential. The other is grounded in limitations and encourages one to embrace mediocrity.

It truly is hard to soar with the eagles when you're roosting with turkeys. Who we choose to associate with isn't an indication of who we are, but who we aspire to be.