It might seem obvious that you need to establish a wide network of connections with top CEOs if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur. Additionally, it makes sense to develop a relationship with a particular group of successful artists if you want to be recognized as a successful writer or musician in your field. But I'm sure you also consider the things that contributed to these successful people's success when you think of them.
A CEO is considered successful when they build a multi-million dollar company or exits a company and becomes rich. Musicians are considered successful if they have millions of shows or hundreds of thousands of followers.
But what if these well-liked people started to lose their popularity? What if the CEO who led your company to billion-dollar success was fired by the board? What if the artist you adore only had the ability to release one song? Do they differ from the people you wished to associate with before their misfortune?
These people possess a certain quality that has enabled them to scale the success ladder and accomplish everything they have. You were drawn to them due to their motivation, impulsivity, and strategies. Simply put, the outward manifestations of success serve as proof of their innate capacity for success. The same person you respect will still be there after those people are gone. Here, the question: What Constitutes Success?
Internal Success vs. External Qualifications for Success:
Success is defined by Merriam-Webster'sdictionaryas "the accomplishment of a specific goal or purpose." I disagree with this definition, though. It asserts that success is an external phenomenon rather than an idea or way of thinking inside oneself. But if you have experienced even a small amount of external success, you are aware that your internal drive and concentration were what ultimately led to your success. Success is therefore a result of internal factors rather than something outside of oneself.
That brings us back to the aforementioned idea. Instead of seeking out people who believe that success comes from having external qualifications, you should seek out enthusiastic people who have a success mindset if you want to surround yourself with successful people.
Consider this: Would you consider your existing managers unsuccessful if you hired a successful CEO and they lost everything? Should you abandon them because they didn't succeed? No, they are still the same person you respected before the failure. They are the same person, but they were unable to put a particular thought into practice.
It's interesting, but there are so many examples of two or more people who were friends from a young age and then went on to achieve tremendous and unique success in their chosen fields. Actor Tommy Lee Jones and former Vice President of the United States Al Gore may immediately come to mind. Did you know that they were roommates in college?
Screenwriter BJ Novak and actor John Krasinski, both childhood friends who later starred in the hit TV show The Office, may also come to mind.
What about Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire? Also, they've been friends since childhood even before their early successes. If you like comedy, comedians Joe Rogan and Jim Brewer were best friends when they fell apart and tried to get back together.
Any argument can be supported by data, but the question remains: Did these people become best friends before becoming successful and succeed together? Why wouldn't you want to be surrounded by people who have a success mindset and an unquenchable desire to accomplish everything they set out to do in life? It might appear that you want to be surrounded by people who are highly motivated and inspirational if you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
Building a successful team:
I have a close friend who is a DJ and another who works in technology as a co-founder, programmer, and technologist. They both provide me with a lot of inspiration, push me to succeed, and improve my way of thinking. They both have admirable objectives that inspire me to pursue similar objectives. These two people raise my potential for success and inspire me every day to do so.
If you ask either of them, I don't think they will tell you that they are successful. If you ask me, I wouldn't consider myself successful either. However, I know that eventually my friends will achieve the success they want. If I stay close to them among the other people in my life, I know that I will achieve my goals too.
The funny thing is that 10 years later from now when we've built up a solid group of successful artists, entrepreneurs, musicians, athletes, etc, people will think we found each other after our success and they will think we used our power and prestige to meet at a fancy Hollywood party or something, but that's far from the truth. I know them before we even think about achieving our dreams and goals.
Therefore, if you want to be successful, surround yourself with people who want to be as successful as or better than you.This does not mean that you should not have senior consultants, but rather it means that the inner motive is what achieves the outer success. So, instead of focusing on people who have external qualifications for success, find people who are more motivating, inspiring, or more disciplined than you are.
Look for people who have the quality you want, not the money because it was the quality that allowed them to make that money.
Conclusion:
Think of it this way: Do you think that you will succeed, and that your success will continue to increase over time? Did you achieve success in the first place? If you answered "yes" to both questions, it's safe to assume that you'd make a good addition to five other people.
However, if you think you're a high-quality person who can help others succeed and you haven't achieved the desired level of success yet, then it makes sense that there are other people out there who can do the same for you.I mean it's fun to build something from scratch with a group of friends, rather than trying to build on what others have built.
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