Surrounding

Many a great person - if 'great person' can truly be an accurate turn of phrase - have claimed that they ascended to some level of success because they surrounded themselves with good people. This is a worthwhile goal, in general, particularly if the good people one surrounds themselves with represent a variety of backgrounds and viewpoints. However, it provides a sort of negative 'coming to reality' moment for the present author, as, given that the present author is not one of these good people and will never be chosen as such, the present author is perpetually condemned to never be in touch with a great person.