We are all part of many conversations. We have conversations with our friends, our family, colleagues, acquaintances, and other interactions. These conversations have an influence on our mindset, the way we think about life, the way go we after our goals, and even how much success we can have. Being influenced by positive people can be empowering and can lead to amazing success.

 The problem is that, when we have new goals, we don’t engage in the conversations that are needed in order to achieve success.

When many people talk about life and moving forward, they do it with a complaining tone. They hint that life is not fair or that there are no opportunities. However, when you are around people who have achieved amazing success, they do it with a tone of empowerment and personal responsibility.

When I was 20, I decided to go to USC. When I decided to go, I wanted to meet people and have experiences. For me, this was a big risk and I thought this was a foolish rationale. I look back, and now I understand that this was an amazing rationale.  Why? It allowed me to be privy to empowering discussions and mindsets. From amazing professors to amazing guest lecturers and ambitious peers, I was building an amazing mindset.

When I entered the personal development industry, I started attending events, reading books, watching online classes, and I slowly started having the conversations that would lead me to where I am today. There is a big difference between understanding something and embracing it. In addition to the conversations that you have with people, the conversations that you listen to can have the same effect. For example, I listen to many leaders in my industry talk about their methodology and best practices.

Unfortunately, hearing or talking about a new message once or twice or even one hundred times may not lead you to achieving your goals. These conversations should seep into your mindset. This may take years.

You also want to be able to bounce ideas off of others and work through challenges with others. As human beings, we like to share our experiences, good or bad with the people we interact with. No matter if we have a good or bad experience, our interpretation about it is influenced by the people who we share it with. One of the reasons I am able to deal with my unique challenges and disability is because, when I was growing up, my parents did not act or, more importantly, let me act like a victim.  When you have a challenge and you share it with others, they can have an array of reactions. They can tell you, “oh my goodness, the world is going to end,” or they can tell you that, “I know this sucks, but here is what you need to do next,” or any other reaction. How they tell you to respond is going to have a major impact on your mindset. If you are in a professional environment that is empowering, you are going to have more of a chance to be empowered.

We all have people in our lives who will validate or encourage our victimhood. We also have others who will encourage us or push us to do our best. We have people who will calm us down or rile us up. When I share my challenges with others, many times they remark or ask “doesn’t that suck.” To be honest, it’s not ideal, but it’s just my life. 

Another unfortunate reality is that most people don’t have the conversations that are needed to achieve amazing success. Instead of investing the time to learn from others, they would rather go into victim mode and blame the world for their lack of success.

Living out your dreams takes being influenced by other people who achieve amazing success.

Summary:

In order to reach amazing success, you have to make time to be influenced by the people in your life. Listening and learning from those around you is key to the perspective you have when looking after your goals.