Who Do You Listen To?
American entrepreneur and author Jim Rohn said, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” How about adjusting this slightly to say, “You’re the average of the five people you listen to the most?”
Our minds our powerful and the messages we take in along with the messages we tell ourselves have a strong and profound influence on us. When things are good, no problem, we coast along, but when things are tough and challenging what we take in and what we reinforce in our minds becomes especially important. Discouraging, self-defeating or negative untrue thoughts will not serve us well. Truth, encouragement and messages of hope will serve us.
As I think back to those I listen to a few names immediately come to mind.
The first person I think of is entrepreneur and author, Darren Hardy. I have mentioned him in previous issues of this newsletter and I consider him my virtual success mentor. Darren is direct, practical and honest (he was mentored by Jim Rohn). Monday to Friday Darren publishes his Darren Daily mentoring videos – free of charge! I listen…and I take notes. Many of his messages have touched me. For example, not long after I was badly blindsided by someone a few years ago, Darren explained that what happened to me was called a “black swan event.” This is an actual term used to describe financial markets and their unpredictability. On another occasion, when I needed to get over a difficult time, Darren said, “It’s over. You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. The milk has spilled. Move on.” Got it!
Darren’s direct and honest approach shed light on my situations and helped me get in a right frame of mind, freeing myself of the self-pity party I would partake in on occasion. It was time for me to pull up my bootstraps!
In addition to Darren, I listen to other voices. I am an avid reader with a collection of unread books that exceeds the time I have to read them. Can you relate? Is that you, too? If so, you also know there is no such thing as too many books! If only I had two hours a day to sit down and read, that would be awesome! I love my books and there are a few I have read that spoke to me so powerfully I would set them aside to read every year. The voices in these books impacted me in big ways and they inspired me.
Some of them are:
· The Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
· Becoming and The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama
· Finish First by Scott Hamilton
These books, along with others, have spoken to me, touched and encouraged me and I have many quotes from them written down in my Book Log so that I can refer back to them later on. These voices are good!
When voices do you listen to on a regular basis?
Are there any authors who have touched you positively?
Recommended Resources
Darren Daily virtual mentoring – FREE! - https://darrendaily.com/
Monthly Challenge
Purchase one of the four books I listed above and set aside one hour a day to read, writing down or highlighting the quotes/statements that spoke to you.