It’s Not What You Know; It’s Who You Know
Last week, I went to Guatemala to work on a project. It’s certainly nothing like America so I was a little nervous. It was great to see another new country and I feel so blessed to get to travel the world helping entrepreneurs build their dreams. As I reflected at the end of each day of the trip, I started to realize that what I appreciated most were the people I got to spend so much time around.
During a typical project, there is a lot of separation between the everyone involved. We have our own hotel rooms, decide to eat at different restaurants, etc. However, in Guatemala, we had to depend on each other to maintain a safe environment and do the best with the small space we had. We found ourselves forming real relationships with each other and sharing aspirations, advice, and encouragement.
There is a saying that you are the product of the five people you hang around the most. Think: “You are what you eat”, except a completely different kind of food. People have the power to encourage ideas, instill fear, demand excellence, or accept the status quo. When someone starts hanging around a new group of people they are often told by friends that “they’ve changed”. Sometimes this is good; sometimes bad.
In particularly competitive fields, it’s common to hear, “It’s not about what you know, but who you know.” It’s the idea that you can be the most talented, creative, or ingenious person in the world – but unless you know how to relate that to people it will not matter. At the end of the Guatemala trip, I felt like I was functioning, thinking and dreaming at a higher level than ever before. Some of our biggest clients were on this trip. People like multi-million dollar serial entrepreneurs Jefferson Santos and Robb and Kim Campbell. They have all done amazing things, and built lives that many people only dream of.
The best part, and the lesson I’m sharing in this post, is that they have all had this success by investing in people. They are selective about those that they let speak into their lives, and they use their abilities and success to help others achieve their own personal goals. Jefferson is one of the most true, genuine people I have ever met. When he says he is going to do something, he does it. He once told me that he invests so much into people because he knows that what he sows, he will reap tenfold. All of these individuals demand success. They don’t “want” to be successful; they “have” to be successful. They’ve made a choice.
Spending time around successful people like this didn’t cause me to feel like I was less, but just made me more passionate about doing the best work possible. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and not by one person.
On our own, we can only do so much. Our visions are capped, and our capabilities are limited. Finding a team of key people, and unselfishly helping them achieve their goals will help you reach your own. It’s also not about spending time only around those who are further along in their life journey than yourself. It’s about spending time and resources alongside someone who is just as passionate and determined about whatever their goal may be if not more. If they have genuine character, they are worth your time. Really, we need a mix of people that are further along to provide inspiration, hope, and opportunities, as well people earlier in their journey who we can do the same for. It’s in both of these experiences that we learn some of the most valuable lessons.
I feel so blessed to be building Blue Ivory Creative because everyone involved fits this criteria in some way. We have different abilities and varied goals, but we are all on our journeys together. Blue Ivory Creative is the epitome of this post because what we provide is the collective talents, inspiration, and encouragement needed for entrepreneurs to succeed at their endeavors. Every day I get to know someone a little better. Every day I get to help someone get a little closer to their dreams. What we provide is a supplement, a power food to enhance their vision and pull them further down the road than they would have the energy to reach on their own.
