Hello beautiful people!
Let’s take a look at our community.
Hopefully, you’re already surrounded by amazing folks. I sure as shit am. It’s my baseline. I always say, “I surround myself with the best people on the planet. I make sure they know one another. And I stand back while they make magic.” This both makes me look brilliant and ensures I’m always inspired to be my best self.
Actually, as I’m thinking about it, there’s a super-quick vid I did for Facebook back in September of 2009 that kind of nails it, so why don’t I just share it with you? Yeah!
So, today is all about taking a look at the company you keep. It’s important because it has a lot to do with your success or failure, your delight or depression, your whole freakin’ worldview for cryin’ out loud.
Jim Rohn has a famous (tweetable) line about just this: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
I like to surround myself with really smart mo’ fo’s, and here’s why: Even though I am unquestionably one of the badassiest, brainiest, ballsiest people out there, I do NOT want to be the smartest person in my squad. Even though I’m a spectacular problem-solver, I do NOT want to be the one everyone comes to for all the answers. (I love doing that in my job, but in my friendships? No. This is one of the distinctions between friends and colleagues for me, and it’s important.) I want to be challenged in all sorts of ways and I want to become better with my every interaction. I am always a work in progress and I progress faster if my tribe is filled with creative geniuses who know we’re capable of changing the world.
Today’s work: Who’s your tribe? Your squad? Your ride-or-die posse? Who’s your five? And what qualities do they posses? If you find that your list includes complainers, pessimists, dream-killers, poison playmates, or mopey dopes, consider upgrading your community. Because the stink of that stuff works its way into the fibers of your creative pursuit. It’s like being a nonsmoker hanging out in a room filled with smokers. You can tell me all you want that you don’t smoke. My nose says otherwise.
The friends you’ll celebrate your highest tiers with are the friends who’ll shoot reel footage with you today as if it’s the coolest project ever. They’re the friends who’ll cheer when you’re moving ahead faster and they’re the friends you’ll cheer on when they’re moving ahead faster. They’re friends, not colleagues (read up on that concept here, if this important distinction is new to you).
And if you suddenly landed with the hell-yes agent of your dreams and one of “your five” asked for a referral, you’d not only be hell-yes about doing it, you’d go along to the meeting because right after that, you’d be collaborating on your next script together.
Having any pangs of dread that someone you spend the most time with would actually make you look like a non-pro with your next-tier reps, were she to ask you for a meeting? Realizing now that your bestie may actually be an anchor to a tier you say you’re desperately trying to leave behind? Having a little come-to-Jesus with yourself about the power of your community?
Good.
Clean it up. This comes in right under your self-talk in its importance to your career trajectory. Don’t be afraid to upgrade your posse. This will take time. For today, just make the list. After listing off your current five (whether they’re in the industry or not) and the qualities they posses, make a second list of qualities you crave in your top five. Write a breakdown as if you were casting your ideal friendgroup. Start noticing people with those qualities. They’re all around you. Make some plans.
’til tomorrow… stay ninja!
