I was inspired months ago by Debra Woog’s post “Average of Five: My Top Five Role Models”. Debra inspires me greatly and I had the pleasure of meeting her at the beginning of this year for the first time. I first heard the quote with which she starts her post a while ago, but heard it from so many people that I can’t remember where I heard it first. Nonetheless it remains an important marker for me:
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with” – Jim Rohn
What this means to me is that it is extremely important to surround yourself with people who inspire you to be your best and who are committed to their own success.
Much like Debra’s list, my list of my top 5 mentors are not really people I spend the most time with but are people I have mentored with and who inspire me to be better. People who I see as role models for myself along the road I am walking. These are people with whom I have had a personal relationship on some level – mentored with them, trained with them personally, spent time on the phone with them. While there are a LOT of people who have inspired me that I could list (and frankly may be a future post) I have not had any personal one-on-one connection with them, so I haven’t seen beyond the veil of the public persona.
Here’s my list of current and recent mentors that have had the greatest impact on me personally and professionally with their own vision and success as entrepreneurs.
I could wax on about the specific impact they have had on me, but the reason I list them is more than that. It is who they are in the world that inspires me. Here’s what I see they have in common:
- A ruthless commitment to authenticity and their own personal growth.
- They have chosen to define success in their own ways rather than subscribe to someone else’s definition or prescription.
- High level of integrity in all they do.
- They care about and connect with others in a genuine way. None of that “I’m sort of talking to you but looking over your shoulder waiting for someone more important to talk to” behavior that sometimes happens when people reach a pinnacle of success.
- Each are leaders in their own field.
- Unbelievable creativity.
- A willingness to be vulnerable, show up fully, and feel.
- Financially successful with a healthy money mindset. One that allows them to flourish personally and give back generously to others.
- Have a strong connection to spirit and that comes through in who they are and the work they do.
- Practice their own extreme self-care so they can give to others from a place of abundance and enjoy their own lives as well.
- Amazing models of direct, powerful speech delivered in a compassionate way.
- They are passionate and constantly learning and growing themselves.
- Understand and model what true prosperity is…love and presence.
Who are your role models? What do they have in common? Would love to hear from you in the comments…