Think about it for a moment; who do you spend most of your time with? Draw a few people into your mind, and expand on this thought, what beauty do you find those people bringing to your life? Do those who’ve come to mind create a calm, positive environment when you’re around them, or are they a perfect storm of chaos? It may not be something that you regularly think about – but this examination may be incredibly important to your success, both personally and professionally.
Entrepreneur.com recently highlighted “Why the Five People Around You Are Crucial to Your Success,” prefacing on the idea that in business, and life, “You’re the average of the five people you spend most of your time with,” according to renowned business guru Jim Rohn; a fascinating man who boasts an incredible forty year history of helping people around the world “sculpt life strategies that have expanded their imagination of what is possible” in both business and beyond.
In the article, they note: “You need people —whether it’s co-founders, mentors family or friends – who will challenge you and make you better, thereby raising your average or helping you maintain a high one. Many entrepreneurs strive to be the smartest person in the room on every issue. But if you’re always the smartest person, you’re hurting yourself. You want to surround yourself with people who can run circles around you in as many areas as possible, people who are exponentially better in a variety of ways.”
It makes sense, right? Not just for entrepreneurs, but for our own everyday lives. Those who are more in-tune or creative in one part of life, definitely help build our strength when it may be a natural weakness of ours. A lot of times, they too, will help us become more confident in that skill, and help us to develop it further – challenging us to become our best self, bit by bit.
So, if we all do need those fabulous five in our lives; how do we choose them? It’s harder said than done. Especially to identify and utilize these people in the most mutually beneficial way without feeling like we cast others we love outside of ‘our circle.’ It’s also difficult to discern what would make someone ‘more valuable’ than someone else when we love different people for different gifts that they bestow upon our lives.
It may sound overwhelming, yes, but never fear! Here are three tips to developing a ‘personal board of directors’ in a way that feels natural and fair to the nuances and specialities of all of your interpersonal relationships:
1. Don’t make it personal. Many times, we love the most important people in our lives just as they are – and unconditional love is a good thing! For this exercise, however, allow yourself to see beyond love and identify your closest confidants who exhibit the most positive and consistent high-quality traits for you to emulate that will enhance your personal and professional life.
2. Open Yourself Up to Others. One of your five may not necessarily be who you’d expect – that’s great! In fact, the more self-reflective you are when identifying this group, the more likely you are to identify the right people for the right reasons, as mentioned above. When you allow yourself to be open to examining your relationships honestly, the choices will be clear to you.
3. Be aware of YOU. Without examining ourselves – identifying our best traits and attributes in our character that we’d like to strengthen – we won’t be able to find the qualities in others that best suit our needs. And, most important of all, the reciprocal, we won’t be able to meet the needs of those in our lives who need us to be in their boat with them.
You’re on your way now to finding your five; and that’s exciting. Here is something even more incredible to feel blessed about today: Everyone else is still there!
Each one of the people that you didn’t add to this small, albeit important, list is still on your team cheering you on. They may not be in your ‘boardroom’ but they’re everywhere else in your life! Remember to celebrate those gifts, too, no matter how great or small, every day.