There were a select few who had a major influence on my life in my youth:
-My best friend from elementary school, who was the best student in the class. He inspired me to try hard in high school, which led to a great deal of academic success for me there and onwards.
-Two friendly but-not-so-close friends in junior high who introduced me to Isaac Asimov and computers. I haven’t spoken to them in over 15 years, but the things they introduced me to have been a big part of my life.
-My best friend in high school, who is still my best friend. We are complete opposites, which may be why we complement each other so well. He’s the one who forced me to take risks, step out of my shell and stop being shy. He’s been partially successful.
For almost a decade now, though, I’ve been a loner and very independent. Even my best friend has very little influence on me these days; he lives a totally different life from me and has completely different interests, but despite his encouragement, he hasn’t been able to budge me.
These days, I could probably get a whole new set of friends, but I doubt they’d have much of an influence on me. I’m old and set in my ways now.