Last weekend, I was in a luxury suite at Circuit of the Americas watching the American Le Mans Race and this topic came up. Actually, let me rephrase that. I originally went to watch the race -- I love racing -- and ended up spending the entire time making connections and networking. Toward the end of the day, a conversation came up between an old friend and I concerning the fact that the only reason we were in that suite is because we were actively working to surround ourselves with people who were more successful than we were. We both agreed that you should surround yourself with people that are where you want to be, not where you are.
Why? It opens doors. It creates opportunity. It enables you to do better. It encourages you to do better. You won't settle just because everyone else has. Let me share a few anecdotes.
Years ago, I lived in a high rise in downtown Austin. I was actually living far above my pay grade, while I had a Porsche, I was subsidizing my rent with a roommate. My neighbor down the hall had his own personal Lear Jet. And an Aston Martin. And all the other trappings of success. We're still good friends, and he's shown me a lot about how to do business that I would otherwise never have learned and we're both working to create opportunities for the other.
My girlfriend did not understand. She lived in a small bungalow in a trendy and exclusive part of town. But she was really surrounded by teachers and students and old Austin hippies. Not that these aren't nice people. They are. I love them. I love being around them, they are eclectic and unique and interesting and dynamic. But successful? Hrm. Perhaps not, even if their houses have increased in value to the point of absurdity.
She felt that the people I lived around were fake and pretending to be something they weren't and that the people she lived among were more "genuine". These are not necessarily untrue statements. Since moving in with her, I have enjoyed the company of our new neighbors more than I did the company of my old neighbors. That said, they really haven't helped me improve. They don't have opportunities. They can't open doors for me.
This all sounds kind of ugly, and it's the kind of thing my girlfriend and I argue about all the time. Your friends shouldn't be about what they can do for you or what they can offer you and it certainly sounds like that's what I'm saying. It's not. What am I saying is that if you surround yourself with people doing about the same or worse than you, you will continue to be in the same place you're in unless some miraculous circumstance happens. They don't know what the next step is, they may even be perfectly happy where they are, and you will have no real incentive to improve.
And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Look, there's a number I can hit financially where you'll find me parked on a beach drinking margaritas and literally not giving a fuck for the rest of my life. Enjoying life is its own reward and you'd be foolish not to sit back and do that every once in a while -- or realize when you've hit your mark. But I'm not there yet, and if you're reading this blog, you probably aren't either.
Let me talk about what happened in that suite. First, I ended up there because I'd made a few connections over the years as the track was being built. I had made sure to rub elbows with the guys behind it, and I'd helped them every place I could. That was the first opportunity -- it got me in the door with some very powerful guys I never would have met otherwise. I met a finance guy there and we exchanged information. That might turn into me hanging out in a suite I otherwise could never afford during Formula 1 weekend. It might turn into some financing for a couple of businesses I'm trying to get off the ground. It might turn into sponsorship for my race team. It might turn into nothing. I don't know, but the fact is, without making those connections, without surrounding myself with those kinds of people, I'd have never been in that suite and not one of those things would even have a chance to come to fruition.
This kind of situation is how one of my other race buddies set up sponsorship with Rebel Rock and how yet another got to be a test driver for Cadillac. It's how I ended up being a track instructor for the Lamborghini Club of Texas. It's how I've met many millionaires and a couple billionaires. Now, nothing is a guarantee, but those guys might pitch me a slow ball right down the middle just because they'd rather see me get it than someone they don't know. Of course, I've still got to swing for it and make it count, but it's a lot easier than trying to hit a fastball or trying to knock one out of the park off a pitcher who can't even get it over the plate.
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