Partner With Like-Minded People

As the old saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together,” and this is good for both the individual bird, and the whole flock. When you surround yourself with people who have similar aspirations and goals, you can support each other in attaining them. This is much easier than constantly having to explain yourself, argue about your choices, or defend your lifestyle. Your energy is revitalized rather than depleted. You can cheerlead for each other, offer a sympathetic and understanding ear, and share successes. It doesn’t have to be lonely at the top if you bring friends to the top along with you.

If you don’t currently have a peer group of like-minded friends or colleagues, start looking. You can try conferences and industry events, workshops or short courses, or maybe you will run into others when working with a supplier or client. Be friendly at all times, send out those vibes, and before you know it, you’ll have found the kind of people you want to be with. (This is made easiest by BEING the kind of person that you want to be around.)

Besides going for the old standards that you’re comfortable with, try diversifying the people you spend time with. You can learn new things, stretch yourself a bit and be more motivated as a result.

But choose wisely — you are who your friends are, and you want good influences. Nobody’s perfect, but try to find people who are generally good role models, who lead balanced lives and are positive to be around. They don’t have to be industry experts to qualify, although that doesn’t hurt either.