The Line That Changed My Story
- Aaron Tolete
- Mar 2
- 2 min read
"Always Surround Yourself with people who are better than you" - Donny Osmond (1957 - Present)
The first time I heard this quote and its message wasn’t from Donny Osmond himself, even though he’s most commonly credited for it. I actually came across it on my Instagram explore page in a short podcast clip from Pharrell Williams. Pharrell is one of my favorite producers, designers, and creatives of all time, and someone I’ve always looked up to as a role model, so the message immediately stuck with me.
Growing up, I didn’t really have friends who were interested in the same things as me or who had the same level of motivation to work toward their goals. It didn’t matter if they weren’t in film or the creative field, but many of them didn’t have strong ambitions or a desire to push themselves. They were comfortable with where they were, and that was enough for them. I’ve always been a creative person who expresses myself through art, and there were times I wanted to collaborate on a video or a song, but the effort just wasn’t there. If I struggled with editing or recording, there was no one I could rely on for help, and when I doubted myself, there wasn’t much encouragement either.
That experience made me realize that success isn’t just about what you do, but how you approach it. I needed to be around people who were driven, people who wanted to grow, improve, and challenge themselves. Being around people with more experience, skill, and passion pushes me to level up and take my work more seriously.
That advice taught me that if I want to grow into the person and creative I want to become, I have to surround myself with people who are always evolving, pushing forward, and striving for more.
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