In our quest to become amazing and live out our goals, we need to be encouraged by the right people in the right way. We underestimate the influence that others have on us. One of the keys to amazing success is to be surrounded and influenced by people who can actually help us on our journey to our dreams and our goals.

Here is a list of people in your life and how to build relationships that can help you reach your goals:

Friends and family

We all have friends and family who we rely on for emotional support and advice.  These people can encourage our dreams or dismiss them. They can empower you or they can tell you that your dreams are ridiculous. They can even ridicule you in a passive aggressive way. One of the wrong assumptions that people make is that we think that people that are closest to us should encourage us in the right way. However, the reality is that the people that are closest to us base their encouragement on their own way of thinking or their own mindset. Everybody has their own biases and their own flaws. When engaging with your friends and family, it’s important to understand their knowledge and their mindset. I don’t have many friends who understand my industry and I don’t expect them to give me the proper encouragement. In addition, everybody has their own way of dealing with their own challenges. This methodology can be a defense mechanism and, oftentimes, leads to bad advice that is not empowering. There are times when all we need is a cheerleader or just a shoulder to lean on. This is where friends and family come in. 

Mentors

Mentors are amazing. Mentors have specific knowledge in an endeavor. A good mentor should have taken the path that you want to take. They should guide you on the next steps and give you advice about what you should do and what not to do. A mentor is also a role model, someone you should look up to and emulate. No matter how strong your opinion, your actions are dictated by the actions that you see people take.

Coaches and consultants

There are consultants and coaches who can elevate your performance. This can be a performance coach or just someone who can push you to do better. Oftentimes, we don’t see the most efficient process or we don’t see how roadblocks are holding us back. A good consultant can do all that and more. Imagine an athlete who tries hard, but has a coach who can realize a better shot or a more efficient workout routine. Similar to a mentor, a great coach or consultant can identify the next steps and encourage us to do better. 

Leaders and Influencers

Every industry has leaders and influencers. These are people at the top of their game.  They put out content such as YouTube videos, blogs, and books. They also often speak at industry events. Being influenced is as easy as consuming their material and using them as inspiration. Also, oftentimes, they lay out their methodology that you can follow. Leaders and influencers can be management or someone who sets the tone.  These managers can encourage us and push us to do better.

Therapist

I believe that at some point or another everybody needs to engage with a psychologist. We all have a barrier that if not dealt with can hold us back. A big part of life is how we react to situations. These reactions can be unhealthy, and a good therapist can help us identify and have better reactions to life’s ups and downs. 

Support groups

There are groups who meet up that either are going through similar challenges or have similar goals. These groups are meant to support and encourage their members to do better. An example of a group that deals with challenges is any kind of addiction support system. One of the main goals of this kind of group is to truly support their members in their efforts not to take inappropriate actions and encourage them to take the right actions. With regards to helping with goal achievement, it can be a mastermind where members of the group have similar journeys, similar goals, similar aspirations, and similar challenges. 

Team Members

It takes a team to become amazing. This team can include assistants, people who take who free up your time, or staff. Some might even consider a babysitter as part of this category. When you have the proper team, it takes the pressure off of you and allows you to take on bigger and bigger goals.

 Amazing success does not happen alone. We are influenced by the people with whom we interact. Inspiration and motivation are crucial to amazing success. However, alone they are not enough. Motivation and inspiration are fueled by the encouraging people in our lives. As human beings we look at others in our lives for support and even validation. The goal is to find the people who encourage you to take the right actions. 

Summary

The road to amazing success isn’t traveled independently. With us along the way are people who encourage and influence us. It is important, however, to choose those people wisely as you work toward achieving your goals.