By Sierra Kovash
I’ll be honest, I have never written professionally. Sending my writing in with the hope of creating an opportunity was a total leap of faith. Leaps of faith aren’t new to me. I have taken many leaps of faith in my life. Leaps into my career, dance floors, past jobs, credit cards, my hobbies, and into motherhood, just to name a few.
What keeps me jumping? Why am I not afraid of the fall? I am not afraid to fail because of my safety net. I have surrounded myself with the smartest, kindest, and most brilliant people I have ever met. These people are my circle, my mentors. These people pick me up when I’m down, proofread my life, question my decisions, and make me dig deeper.
You are the sum of the top five people you surround yourself with. If you want to change your standards of living, change your standards of who you surround yourselves with. Don’t like your life? Look around. Do the people around you live the life you want or the life you have? How can you create the life you want if you are surrounded by negativity and mediocrity?
So, say you don’t have this type of circle. Where do you start?
First, find a mentor. A mentor can be anyone, including your boss, a friend, an acquaintance, a clergyman, or a family member you. Think of someone you look up to who makes safe decisions. Second, ask them for a meeting. Make your meeting short and sweet. Be honest and tell them you want them to mentor you. Tell them you would like to be able to come to them to talk when you need advice. Third, write them a thank you note.
Having just one mentor in your life can change everything. Having multiple in different lines of work is even better.
I go to my mentors/circle with just about everything. From proofing my column to investing in property, if it has an impact on my life I utilize my circle. In return, I make myself available to them if they ever need me.
“You must surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and the thinkers, but most of all surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you even when you don’t see it in yourself.” ~ Edmund Lee