The late motivational speaker Jim Rohn famously said, ” You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.”
That theory is supported by the research of social psychologist Dr. David McClelland of Harvard, who found that the people you regularly associate with can determine as much as 95 percent of your success or failure in life.
Wow! So who are the five people you currently associate with most?
Are they the people you need to associate with in order to realize your dream or are they the people who will keep you where you are?
Finding Your People
In Working from the Heart, Jacqueline McMakin identifies 10 types of potential supporters. As you look for your five people, consider which of these categories you may need at this point in your journey.
- Colleague: Someone to work with or an associate in a similar profession
2. Mentor: Someone who believes in you and offers guidance and coaching to help you move forward
3. Supervisor: Someone to oversee your work and guarantee its quality by the strength of his or her credentials and expertise.
4. Advisor: A knowledgeable person who offers information and counsel.
5. Collaborator: A person with whom you want to produce something. This can involve anything from a legal working partnership to an occasional productive association.
6. Role model: Someone who does what you would like to do or inspires you in your work.
7. Friend: A person with whom you can share your hopes and dreams, failures and successes.
8. Teacher: Someone to impart knowledge or offer training in skills you need.
9. Patron: Someone to value your work, support it or become a consumer of it, and pass the word about it to others.
10. Spiritual Guide: Someone to support your spiritual quest and care how that is expressed in your work.
As you consider which of these categories of people you need at this point in your journey, begin to jot down names of people in your life who might fill those roles for you.
Remember, it’s still your hard work and your effort that will help you to achieve your goals, but it’s helpful to have some people in your corner who support your dream.
In fact, you may want to add Cheerleader to your list of people. Know that we are cheering you on.
To Your Dreams,

Money-Making Idea: Create an Association

Continuing with this week’s theme of connecting with people who can be a support system for pursuing a dream – whether that be a career or an adventure of some kind – is this week’s money-making idea to create an association.
An Association is a group of people who come together around a common cause or purpose.
Have you ever thought, “I wish I knew other people who like X” or “who do Y”?
An association be general and focus on an entire profession, e.g., Association of Fundraising Professionals, or very specific such as Dads of children with developmental disabilities.
It can focus on a specific demographic niche based on gender, ethnicity, or geographic area.
What is important is that there is a genuine interest from the prospective target audience for the association and the association is filling an unmet need.
Resources on Creating an Association
- What are the Steps to Form an Association covers the important task of determining interest
- How to Start an Association Step-by-Step includes some excellent resources for creating your business plan
- Starting an association: How it Works covers the advantages and limitations of an association is followed by why people join professional associations, and finding the professional organization for yourself.
If you can’t find an association for your particular niche, it may be time to start one.
Is this what’s holding you back?

LIMITING THOUGHT
I can do everything myself.
In today’s culture, it’s easy to feel that you need to do everything yourself–that you can’t ask for help.
You try to do everything on your own, never asking for assistance. You think that if you can get by without the help of others that it’s a sign of strength.
In reality, not being able to ask for help is actually a sign of weakness. None of us can do everything on our own. We all have limitations, blind spots, and areas of weakness.
Your limiting belief is that you can do everything yourself without any help from others.
NEW THOUGHT
I need help to reach my full potential.
In order to rewrite this limiting belief, you need to come to terms with the fact that you can’t do everything. You need to utilize the abilities of others. The more you tap into their strengths, the more you will recognize your own strengths. You will be able to get more done and get closer to achieving your goals and dreams.
You have so much potential, but you need others to help you fully realize it.
Your new belief is “I need the help of others in order to reach my true potential.”
As the John Maxwell quote above states, “one is too small a number to achieve greatness.” Ask for help.
What We’re Reading
The quote, “One is too small a number to achieve greatness” is from John Maxwell’s book Teamwork 101. Even if you are or desire to be a solopreneur, this book will show you how to prioritize teamwork and collaboration to achieve great results. None of us can go it completely alone and achieve greatness.