3 People You Should Surround Yourself With

You only have so many hours in a day, right? You can’t possibly connect with everyone you would like to. Which is why it’s so important to be intentional about the people you surround yourself with and the people you seek guidance from.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and reflecting on a post I wrote awhile back about three people who have each, in their own way, offered me invaluable support.

Assuming you value personal growth, there are three types of influential people you should surround yourself with.

1. Your Cheerleader. This person thinks you’re awesome no matter what and believes in you 100%. This is the person you can vent to without fear of judgment. Your Cheerleader can always see your true intentions and knows what to say to guide you in the right direction.
2. Your Devil’s Advocate. This person will challenge your point of view at every turn and talk you in circles until your head spins. But, if you pay attention, you’ll learn something valuable from the conversation because this person will push you to reassess your limiting beliefs. The key to a successful relationship with your Devil’s Advocate is that you both have a desire and willingness to understand the other’s position.
3. Your Sage. This person is a combination of your Cheerleader and your Devil’s Advocate. When you struggle to connect the dots between the thoughts in your mind, a few wise words from your Sage can rearrange them and connect them in a completely different way than you saw coming. Because the way this person sees the world is very different from the way you see it. Your relationship with your Sage is symbiotic. You each recognize that the other has value to add, but you are not necessarily interested in gaining an understanding of each other’s point of view, as with your Devil’s Advocate. Just the opposite. You want your perspectives to meld together to create another that is better than you could have envisioned alone.