If you ask most successful people how they achieved greatness, I am sure it is about surrounding themselves with good people. Life is really short, we cannot be experts at everything and therefore we have to have good people around us to fill in the gaps.
We trust them for the information and recommendations they provide. They help us feel more confident to make big and bold decisions – knowing we can go to them and ask for advice and help. That is how we make bigger moves in life.
I also love the book “Think and Grow Rich”. It was good, but my favorite part was the last chapter where it discussed how most people have fears, and that is what holds us back.
Fear of poverty – we are afraid we will not have enough money to live and support ourselves. This restricts us from making big decisions and moves.
Fear of people not liking us – people judge us. And we get nervous about that. Will they like us? Will they say bad things about us behind our back?
Fear of health / death – will we get sick and die? Will the food we eat be contaminted. If I do something risky, will I die. If I make that bungee jump, will I die?
Just by being aware of these common fears helped me. Everyone has them. It is how we face our fears and get past them to make big moves in life that define who we are.
Most Bad Decisions I Have Made Is By Picking The Wrong People
Working with the right people, the right team, is the most basic and fundamental decision we can make. Do we trust them? Do they have skills that will add value to the team? Will the be committed to the vision of the team?
This is something I am working hard on being more critical about. In the past, I used to think anyone could be “turned around” and utilized in a team. But now, while sure, anyone can become a better person – THEY THEMSELVES HAVE TO WANT TO CHANGE. That is the key. If you are trying to change someone who doesn’t want to change, then it is a wasted effort.
Even if they are the most talented person in their field, if they have a negative attitude – it isn’t going to work. I always want to surround myself with really smart people – but often times they have to have some other “weakness” to make up for their dedication in growing that skill. Many times that weakness is in people skills (EQ) as they have been spending more of their time on that skill’s IQ.
While that is fine, I’m a bit awkward myself too – the key is to have a positive attitude and open mind.
So I will recommend we find a good team member’s skills, but also a positive mindset. Especially in a new venture, I have heard that to get past the initial stages of a startup enterprise, the founder’s mindset is the most important part. They must get past various mental roadblocks that are holding them back from getting to the scaling stage.
They Have To Really Want To Change
And someone wanting to change, they may say it – but do they really mean it? It is going to be a long hard road.
Its been almost 2 years now since I have made big fundamental decisions in how I live each day of my life. Much more structured and robotic. It has changed me, but I have achieved so much that I am totally shocked.
Reading tons of books, working out each morning, studying Chinese, writing, getting so much done.
Maybe before that I would say I want to improve myself – but would try for a few days then go back to my old routine. Not sure exactly where it started – probably getting married and having kids is the milestone for me. And just overall wanting a healthier and more positive mindset. I also remember my wife getting me to meditate sometimes when I was totally out there and stressing out. Just to take a deep breath and take it one step at a time.
Will You Reach For Greatness?
Striving to success, this is critical. It is a hard thing, many people just accept the life they are given and work within pretty limiting beliefs. To get past that mindset I think (still learning) that it takes positive attitude and mindset, combined with surrounding yourself with good and like minded people.
So – do you want to change? To get to a new level? Maybe you have some other tips – I’d love to hear it in the comments below – or contact me privately
To our mutual success!