When I was invited to a breakfast event this week, I didn’t have any idea of who the speaker was going to be. Wow! Was I pleasantly surprised?
When Dr Denish Palipana was a medical student, he suffered a severe spinal injury in a car crash and was told his dream of becoming a doctor was over.
He relayed his story as a child in war-torn Sri Lanka to growing up in the free-spirited Byron Bay, becoming a lawyer, switching to medicine, and his journey to becoming a practicing doctor as a paraplegic.
Along with the rest of the audience, I was held spellbound.
He spoke of how we can be the hero in our own lives and in the lives of others. Of how at one stage in his life he felt trapped inside his head and became a prisoner of his mind. He referred to the Invictus poem and how we can be the ‘Captain of our Soul’ and why community is most important. He explained how the support of his family and community got him through the difficult times.
All of us need to create a community to support and encourage us in life and in business. When I wrote ‘Being Unstoppable’ I included a full paragraph on the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people in your life to help you become the hero in your life.
You need to be around people who see more in you than you see in yourself. You need to be around people who are confident about who they are and not seeking external validation. You need to be around people who will support your dreams.
There are six types of people you need in your life.
- A rock or protector who always has your back. Your advisor who counsels you on big decisions (they will not tell you what you want to hear but will have your best interests at heart).
- A raving fan (hopefully you have many) who will share your brilliance with others.
- A supporter with whom you can share ideas and dreams. They boost you when times get tough (these people are wonderful for building your self-esteem).
- A cynic to test your strength and resolve. This is the person who gives you honest feedback. (You may not love what they have to say but they are critical to your growth.)
- A visionary who inspires you to be and do more. They may even be the person who doubted you the most thus encouraging you to act differently and try harder.
- A can do who will be first to offer to help.
You cannot fail alone as much as you cannot succeed alone. Schedule a chat with me if you are needing support in your business or look into joining the We Are Succuss Mentoring Program.