Last month I was invited to participate in a charity golf
tournament in Las Vegas to celebrate the life of the late dancing
legend Gregory Hines. The event was held to raise funds and
awareness of the tragic disease that took this entertainer’s
life.

Although we were focusing on this serious matter, it was a true
pleasure to meet all the celebrities and people whom I would not
normally have the opportunity to meet while living here in San
Diego. However, what really left an impression with me the most
was a conversation I had with Gregory Hines’s father, Maurice.

I went up to him and simply asked this question: "What was it
about Gregory’s upbringing that made him such a leader in his
art?"

"Well, it’s like this," began his proud dad in an authoritative
manner. "All we did was watch what he loved to do and then
encourage him to continue doing it. You should’ve seen his eyes
light up when he was only a child dancing for the family. When we
put a ball in his hand, he didn’t share the same passion so we
simply took it away."

"That’s it?" I asked in a surprised tone.

"Yes, it’s as simple as that," he replied. "You see so many
people try to push their kids into doing something that they
themselves want, rather than supporting their children in doing
what they want."

Which brings me to this topic.

Where could you be right now—or even better, where could you be
tomorrow — if you surrounded yourself with a network of positive
support to assist you on your journey?

There’s an old saying that goes, "We are the five people that we
associate with the most, and our income is an average of those
five people."

If you don’t like the path you’re on, I suggest that you take a
look around you to see who you’re associating with. After all,
water truly does seek its own level.

"How do we change this?" you ask.

Here’s what I did, and I invite you to do the same.

A few years back, I looked around and noticed that all I did was
hang around with other salespeople such as myself. Realizing that
I wanted more from my life than to simply sit around talking
about the great deal or the money I’d made that day, I sought out
a new group of people to associate myself with—people who could
help me on my new journey to become an author and motivational
speaker. I ran ads on the Internet and in the newspaper seeking
new people to associate with and "soak up the success" with, so
to speak.

When I couldn’t find such a club, I decided to create one of my
own. I called it the Influential Men’s Group. We met once a month
and discussed our ideas and plans to make them become realities.
Most important, we supported and held one other accountable to
see those dreams come true.

As I write this now, I think to myself how grateful I am for all
the wonderful people who’ve come into my life this past year. 
Due to this great group of people, I’ve gone from a business
owner/salesman, to a number one best-selling author. I’ve been
published with my heroes and industry greats such as Zig Ziglar,
Brian Tracy, Mark Victor Hansen, Tom Hopkins, Bob Proctor, Peter
Lowe, Cynthia Kersey, Steven E., John Assaraf, Dr. Wayne Dyer,
and the internationally acclaimed artist Wyland, just to name a
few.

I share this with you not to impress you, but to impress upon you
to be careful of what you ask for. You may just get it.

In closing, I ask you once more: Where could you be tomorrow, by
surrounding yourself with supportive, like-minded people who
truly want you to succeed?

We are the company we keep. Choose your company wisely.

Best wishes, and keep smilin’!