Who Are The 5 People Closest to You?
Inspirational speaker Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you are closest to.”
So, ask yourself. Who are your top 5 people?
Do they share your same drive and optimism about life?
And what if they don’t?
Many of us in the personal development world may have wonderful friends and family but they aren’t always as passionate as we are about our ‘out-there’ goals.
I’ve recently started reflecting on this topic and realized that I don’t currently have a top 5 that reflects my ambition, passion, and drive towards my unique goals.
My top 5 is supportive, hardworking, and goal-oriented too but their goals may not be as ‘out there’ as mine.
So what do I do? I don’t believe in replacing my top 5 as I value long-term friendships and support much more than finding like-mindedness about my personal goals.
I decided to go out of my way this year to interact with other people that do have similar goals in my spare time.
Interacting with like-minded individuals will improve my life in the following ways:
Why I Want a Network of Like-Minded People
1. I’ll Receive Positive Reinforcement
It’s a downer to be talking excitedly with friends about progress on my goals and to have them reply with “That’s great!” and then switch subjects. I need to find other people who will respond with “That’s awesome! *#[email protected]$^[email protected]!! Me too!! Here are 15 things that I am doing that are equally as weird and might help you!
Turns out that rush of “good feels” that you experience when you receive positive reinforcement is dopamine and it’s linked to motivation. More dopamine = more motivation.
2. I’ll Take Action
Have you ever had a great conversation with a friend and left the conversation feeling more motivated to go out and take action?
It’s one of my personal goals in 2016 to stop thinking about the things I want to do and to actually go out and do them!
I often create these invisible bars in my head that hold me back from taking action. I let all of the reasons why I shouldn’t do something win over all the reasons that I should. Those bars go away once I have a crew of people who have taken similar risks or who are backing me up as I take risks in my life.
Conversing with others who will be taking action with me is the biggest motivator!
3. I’ll Get Different Ideas
When I say I want to meet with like-minded people I don’t mean that I want to create this homogeneous network of clones. Diversity in my network is hugely important so that I can source a diverse set of ideas and thoughts that will make me better. Sometimes it takes someone to question your ideas and introduce you to new thoughts in order to improve upon your ideas and grow.
Creating a network of smart and different individuals will challenge me in ways that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. I also plan to challenge those around me as well. Completely agreeing on everything doesn’t produce change or evolution of thought.
4. It’ll be Fun
I’m a pretty social person and enjoy meeting new people. It’s a win-win when those people like to talk about some of the topics that I love to talk about!
I’m looking forward to getting to know some really cool and inspiring people!
Those are just four of the benefits that I think I will get from creating a network of like-minded individuals but I know there are many more.
Create Opportunities to Build Your Network
I am giving myself major kudos right now for already haven taking steps to create my network.
This week I set up a Skype Call with Gwen from Fiery Millennials. We chatted about all sorts of things and it was great to hear about her progress in purchasing a multi-family. I had been creating invisible bars about contacting a realtor and looking at potential properties. She described it as a relatively easy process and it’s really motivated me to go out and take that first step! We also chatted about work stuff, which is something that I am passionate about, as well as our experiences attending Chautauqua.
I had wanted to talk with Gwen because she was another twenty-something blogger who wants to achieve financial independence. Even though we didn’t know each other beyond the blogs, I figured our shared experiences would make it an easy conversation, which it was.
This morning, I had Colin and Lindy from The Weekend Wander over to my house for coffee and some trading of ideas. Colin and Lindy are entrepreneurs in Denver who run a marketing agency as well as The Weekend Wander. The Weekend Wander is a series of webisodes that feature fun things to do around Colorado. Check out their hilarious fine dining series.
My conversation with Colin and Lindy was inspiring (& funny – they crack me up) and I think we both walked away thinking that regular meet-ups are something that we should implement. In fact, our conversation this morning inspired me to write this post!
Next Steps in Building a Network of Inspiration
Since taking action is the theme of 2016, I plan to join an in-person real-estate networking group that a coworker told me about and I plan to continue to reach out and connect with other bloggers.
What do you plan to do this year to build your network?
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Great post! Networking is key and one of the best things I ever did was start attending real estate meet ups… I met a lot of like-minded individuals, many who have become good friends and potential future investment partners.
The key with succeeding in real estate is about lead generations… Good deals disappear even more quickly than they first appear, so you’ve got to have a bunch of connections… The best stuff will never hit the MLS.
This past year, I found a pocket listing and forwarded it over to my friend since I wasn’t looking at buying. He made $100,000+ the day he closed escrow, relative to the next door comp that had just sold.
It pays to network 🙂
Wow! Looks like I’m on the right track with joining the real estate networking group! Thanks for sharing!