You’re the average of the 5 people closest to you.
Why not stack the deck?
At Two-Brain Business, we teach entrepreneurs to evolve in the “Six Fs”: in their Fitness, their Finances, their Future, their Faith, their Family and their Freedom.
The people closest to you should support you…but they should also challenge you.
They should illuminate the path to greatness. They should push you AND pull you to get there faster.
If you want to improve your life fastest, you need people who will sometimes be your challenger, often be your partner and always have your back.
Maybe you already have these people, and you just need to focus on them more. So consider them your personal Board of Directors. They are:
Your life partner–your spouse or significant other–who represents your Family
Your fitness coach, who represents your Health
Your business mentor, who represents your Finances, Freedom and Future
Your spiritual guide–your pastor, priest or meditation guide–who represents your Faith
Your best friend: who represents your conscience. They know your whole story, and will help you balance the rest. That’s important. As much as we value the pursuit of excellence in each of the Six Fs individually, there will never be perfect harmony between all six. Your best friend will give you the caring but objective perspective you need.
It’s easy to identify exactly who these people are. If you have gaps on your personal Board of Directors, fill those gaps first.
As soon as you have your Board together, here are the next steps:
Prioritize them. Listen to their opinion over everyone else. The Board’s power comes from their ability to filter: to lift up the most important things in your life and hold back the noise.
For example, when I get a nasty email response, I read it out loud to my wife. Her skin is thicker than mine, and she helps me get my perspective back. Then I’m not distracted while I’m trying to spend time with my kids.
When I’m not certain which step to take in my business, I call my mentor and present my options. His objectivity helps me choose the path and stay on it until the end.
Maintain contact. Make appointments. Work them into your daily, weekly or monthly schedule. Don’t try to “fit them in” like everyone else–your schedule and head will fill with noise, and you’ll lose focus in the overwhelm. Chart your course instead of looking for a lighthouse when you’re approaching the rocks.
Ask them how you’re doing. Be ready to hear the truth.
Ask them how you can improve.
“How can I be a better husband?” is a scary question. Be sure you’re ready to hear the response and act on it.
“How can I own a better business?” is another scary one (it took me three years to ask it of my first business mentor).
“How can I lose the weight that makes me feel unhappy?” is really tough for most people.
“How can I serve more?”, “How can I be happier?” and “How can I find peace?” are possibly the hardest of all.
But here’s the thing: these people already know the answer. You don’t have to guess. You don’t have to make mistakes. You don’t have to try stuff, fail; and then try to repair the damage. You have the most qualified people in the world sitting at your table. All you have to do is ask.
When I’m faced with a problem in my business, my first question is “Who has already solved this problem?” If there are more than one, I ask “Who has solved this problem better than anyone else in the world?”
When I realized I could take the same approach in the other areas of my life–my Six Fs–I started asking for help. I put my ego aside and made massive growth.
You can maintain around 150 personal relationships. I suggest that these 5 matter more than almost all of the rest put together. Identify them; focus on them; and grow with them.