Take a look at those born into poverty, with zero connections who make it BIG (and attribute their success to others who weren't connected, were also poor, and had no power at all). Besides, if it were all about that you'd see a lot more kids of the rich and famous getting further than they do.
It's time to be thoughtful and strategic about who you're associating with, Friend. It's important to your success (both in your career and in life). And it's also important to your happiness.
Why The People You Know Matters
Let's get clear about why this matters. The people you surround yourself with:
- influence your decisions (either in good or bad ways);
- motivate and energize you (or drain you);
- pick you up (or pull you down); and
- keep you accountable (or give you excuses).
Sometimes this means cutting people off - or at least minimizing their influence on you.
I grew up with a single alcoholic mother who had VERY bad taste in men. For much of my childhood, I was exposed to the worst of humanity. And although my Dad was an amazing, rock-solid man, we lived in different cities.
But I had two things going for me:
- My grandparents, who taught me to never make excuses, always put forth my best, and get back up and keep going no matter how hard I fell.
- I intuitively understood that I needed more, and surrounded myself with amazing friends and their families, who all supported, guided, and kept me accountable to high standards.
These people helped me become the person I am today. And as far as I'm concerned I'm successful.
To me, success isn't about wealth or prestige. It's about serving others to the best of my abilities so that I can inspire them to make a bigger impact while living a more fulfilling, fun life. In case you hadn't noticed, that's what I write about and coach on every day.
It's time to ensure you're surrounding yourself with the right people. Here's how...
Success Tip: Who To Surround Yourself With
So, who should you surround yourself with? You want a mix of people who serve the following purposes:
- Experts. These are the best of the best within whatever area you want to further develop (both within your career and within other areas of your life). Although you probably know a few experts, don't limit yourself to only those people you know personally. Look to people whom you admire and ask what you can learn from them (even if only looking from afar).
- Professors/Teachers. These are folks who teach what you want/need to to learn or further develop. Some of these people might be experts, but they may not be (not all experts are good at teaching and some people are just born to teach). And you don't have to know these people personally either (many sell products and/or services and even put out free content for you to learn from).
- Mentors. Mentors are people who are further along in their journey than you are and are willing to guide, advise, and support you along the way. Note that these people will likely change over time. And you'll need more than just a career mentor (you need life mentors too). Be sure that these folks are willing participants and that you're willing to listen to them (otherwise, they won't serve much of a purpose for you).
- Supportive Peers. These are people who are at your level that you trust and have your back. They give you your day-to-day support and include your spouse, work friends, close friends, and even some family members. These are the folks you spend the most time with, so choose wisely!
- Originators. These are the people and organizations who hire, create momentum, help you grow, and generate opportunities. These are the folks many people think of when trying to make connections.
- Positive Disrupters. Positive disrupters challenge your way of thinking, help change your perspective (in positive ways), and force you to think outside-the-box. They're also good at helping to simplify what seems overly complex. Many coaches fall into this category, but we all have someone in our lives who fits the bill.
Note: some people will fit into more than one category (be sure you strengthen those relationships because they're gold!).
Take a look at who you're surrounding yourself with. Strengthen your bonds with the people who fall into any of the above categories. Consider dropping anyone who fits into none.
And then get to work to fill in the gaps.
XO,
