We humans are an interesting bunch.

The most successful of us proclaim to have a “fierce independent streak.” We broadcast that fact with great pride.

There’s no question that today’s society idolizes those that loudly proclaim their independence.

The financially independent enjoy a near demi-god status and mystique. 9-5 grinders who have yet to escape the cubicle farm idolize location-independent entrepreneurs.

Make no mistake; modern society views any degree of independence as a sign of strength, significance and achievement. Independence is deemed a signpost that a person has attained a level of mastery and sovereignty in life shared by an elite few.

However, even the most introverted and independent of us cannot escape one glaring truth. Interconnectedness exists, both seen and unseen, that binds every living being on the planet.

Put in layman’s terms — No man is an island. And that’s good.

Why?

Think of it this way. You hit a roadblock on a major goal or project you’re working on. Perhaps you’ve got a client that is out of line, demanding extra work that is outside of scope. Or, your workaholic boss is piling on never-ending work that was the responsibility of an entire department that was let go last month. How convenient.

How’s it feel to be a lone wolf now?

It can feel pretty damn awful while you’re glaring down deadlines and staring down the twin barrels of unhappy clients and unpaid bills. Alone.

Overwhelm. Brain fog. Procrastination. Hell, even crippling self-doubt decides to join the party. Uninvited guests, as usual.

Where’s that impenetrable confidence and bravado now that life has thrown you one of its surprise tests, and you haven’t studied? Are you ready to wing it at the expense of getting fired, losing a lucrative client or falling into indecision and general paralysis?

There’s a better way.

Introducing the Digital Wolf Pack.

See what I did there? No? Allow me to explain.

We live in an age of unparalleled interconnectedness and access to each other, thanks to a golden era of technology.

We’ve never had more opportunity for open communication and democratization of the mediums we use to communicate. This progress has been nothing short of a polarizing phenomenon. Constant connectivity, when linked with human nature is a recipe for serious societal repercussions, both positive and negative.

Technology and the always-connected culture get a bad rap.

If you’re at dinner with your significant other, close friends or colleagues after a long week, how many times have you looked down at your phone to do any of the following?

• Send a text,
• Glance at a sports score,
• Take Instagram pictures of your food instead of eating it
• Check in on foursquare/Facebook?

Welcome to the shady underbelly of the hyper-connected culture we now inhabit.

We are losing out on valuable face-to-face, intimate human interactions, not to mention the joy of the present moment. Look up from your smartphone and across the table. You’re looking at a person who has decided to invest their limited time in being with you, right now.

We’re all guilty. Every last one of us.

It doesn’t have to be 100% negative, however. Not by a long shot.

If your focus is on using technology, instead of the other way around, you’re ahead of the curve.

Even if we completely merge our human consciousness with the machines, as dictated by Ray Kurzweil in “The Singularity is Near,” we must not relinquish what makes us human. The power we glean from building authentic relationships and connections, based on trust, mutual experience and understanding.

Technology Works for You, Not the Other Way Around.

The matrix doesn’t exist yet.

Meaning, we still have dominion over technology and what it means for us. We’re in the driver’s seat. Technology can ride shotgun. That’s up to us.

Here’s the fantastic news.

You can decide to use technology to your advantage. Use it to create an infallible group of peers that truly get your mission. These digital peers can be on many different continents, and that doesn’t diminish their power in the slightest. What’s most important is shared vision and journeys.

All you need is a Skype connection and a willingness to put yourself on the line for them. Invest in the authentic relationship. Invest in shared success and growth.

With the natural selection that spawns from the vigorous pursuit of excellence and authenticity, you will find your pack mates. This wolf pack will run strong, free and independent of the rules dictated by others.

Napoleon Hill dubbed this concept the “Mastermind Group,” and it’s as relevant today as it was 100 years ago when he wrote it.

I am renovating the Mastermind concept for the 21st century and giving it a fresh coat of paint.

What Sets a Wolf Pack Apart?

A pack of wolves look out for one another.

You may remember the “all for one, one for all” creed that bound the Three Musketeers. This ethos is inherent, coursing through the veins of any high-functioning Digital Wolf Pack.

• Wolves that hold each other accountable, when no one else will.
• Wolves that aren’t afraid to call each other out on varying degrees of Resistance, especially when living in the shadows of excuse and procrastination instead of doing our damn work.
• Wolves that have our backs when shit hit the fan.
• Wolves that SHARE resources, relationships and influence in the name of growth.
• Wolves that put the survival and longevity of the pack above their individual, short-term needs.
• Wolves that realize the compound effect of growing, learning and sharing in a group, instead of facing the daunting journey of the First 1000 days of entrepreneurship alone.

Ok, you get it.

So, we recognize the benefits of cultivating a digital wolf pack. You’re now likely shouting at me:

Where can I find MY digital wolf pack?!

Slow your roll cowboy, because it’s not all about you.

The first step to gaining an ally is to BE an ally.

Ask yourself: Who is someone facing a similar journey that I can help, and where do they hang out?

In my last (ever) corporate job, there was a tight knit group of entrepreneurially minded folks that gravitated towards each other. We realized that our time in the corporate machine was limited, but decided we were going to leverage the hell out of our time there –

• The tangible skills being learned,
• Our collective resources and influence,
• The network, and
• The steady paychecks we could invest into our fledgling ventures.

This informal group came to exist more organically than strategically.

If I heard someone was tossing around a new business idea or venture, I’d invite him or her to lunch. Often times, I’d pay.

I told them to spill their guts, and to not self-censor. I wanted to hear all about it. Even if they had no clue what they were doing, what their product or service was or where they’d find their first paying customer, I was all ears. The ambiguous pieces were irrelevant at this stage in the game. My goal, even if I wasn’t conscious of it, was to create and connect with like minds from a place of contribution, service and curiosity.

As a result, I quickly gained a reputation as the office renegade. I was the guy who was hustling in the evenings and weekends, going full bore into the scary world of entrepreneurship. I was reverse engineering my exit strategy from my fluorescent-lit purgatory, otherwise known as the “good office job.”

Soon, people wanted to help me — because I had openly shared my struggles, my wins and what I was facing — fully transparent.

That’s exactly how I got started.

You gotta give to get.

We humans are reciprocal by our very nature, and it’s a debt that we feel an intrinsic pull to repay. When someone comes from a place of service, adding value to our lives, we feel a strong pull to complete the circle and give back.

In his book “Influence,” Robert Cialdini dives deep into this concept of reciprocity. He repeatedly hammers the concept of the power inherent in giving before receiving. Powerful, scientifically backed stuff.

The author does a phenomenal job of divorcing the concept of mutual benefit from the nebulous territory of the “Laws of Attraction” and metaphysics, making it scientifically credible, chunking it down in terms of thoroughly researched human psychology and behavior.

Ready to find your first pack, and build each other up?

These are my top 5 battle-tested strategies to build your digital wolf pack, starting right now.

1) Meet other “cubs”

These are people on the same mission, at similar stages in their journey. They are also riding the elevator of growth and success UPWARDS. These are the people who have the time to give, and can share their lessons, challenges and strategies from the trenches.

The rising tide will lift all ships.

2) Social Media as a Million-Dollar Mouthpiece

Social media gets a bad rap. Even from me.

That’s why I advise that you consciously decide to become an active contributor, instead of a passively consuming the tidal wave of noise put out by others.

Join conversations on Twitter. Join Facebook groups of like-minded people who are in parallel phases of growth. Start small, start authentic and reach out to people who are moving forward.

3) Paid entrepreneurship communities. Yes, paid.

Paid communities are worth their weight in gold. One of the biggest reasons is that they naturally create a firewall. The pay-for-access model weeds out the dabblers and tire kickers, while bringing together courageous souls that have self-selected into a journey of growth, action and community. The cream rises to the tops in these groups, and they’re fertile grounds for recruiting your first Wolf Pack.

Here are some that I recommend strongly.

• Location Rebel
• The Dynamite Circle
• The Fast Lane Forum
• The Middle Finger Project
• Marie Forleo

4) Blogs

Blogs are often overlooked as a way forging new relationships. Most people see them as a source of information, or inspiration, but are forgetting one major in-road — the comment section!

If you comment and join the discussion on blogs, you have differentiated yourself from 98% of other readers.

You have taken action and are engaging with the influential person who has created the content. With thoughtful comments and insightful questions, you can actually start a dialogue with this person, who can most likely accelerate your progress, if you’re in a similar sandbox.

Just remember the golden rule of engaging with influential people, online or in real life. Always put your focus on creating value before ASKING for value in return. Recall our good friend Cialdini and his law of reciprocity?

Ultimately, active participation on high-traffic blogs gets you on the radar of influential people that are making an impact. These influencers have been known to invite you to a private mastermind, give you insider access to new content or even a scholarship to a paid community or course they have launched. It’s happened for me and it’s happened for others. These “breaks” happen for those taking responsibility for their lives, stepping up and getting their hands dirty in the trenches; where the action is.

5) Hire a coach.

Quality coaches are neither free, nor cheap.

However, my experience has shown me that my results have accelerated faster than I ever imagined once I hired a personal coach. The accountability, feedback and personal growth linked to hiring a coach that is fully committed to your progress are transformative. I recommend hiring one as soon as possible.

My experience with a coach has shone a light on my own limiting beliefs, unconscious fears, rationalizations, self-sabotage and other blind spots that were holding me back.

The biggest ROI from hiring a coach comes in terms accelerated progress on projects that both excite and scare you. Lean into these uncomfortable projects. Play over your head.

Find a coach and make her an integral part of your Digital Wolf Pack.

Then, prepare to get uncomfortable and stretch yourself. That’s the sign of a good coach.

Closing strong.

Remember — we are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with. Here are the main takeaway benefits of leveraging a Digital Wolf Pack:

• accelerated growth, shortened learning curve
• shared access to resources
• support when shit hits the fan
• shared wins
• client and business referrals
• the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
• potential partners in new ventures

The Sex Appeal of the Lone Wolf Approach.

Ironically, some of you will still feel the strong pull to go it alone. That’s okay!

There’s value in self-exploration and the trial-by-fire approach to entrepreneurship.

I want to empower you to accept your unique attributes and find what works best for you, your mission and your temperament. Some of the biggest success stories have strong “lone wolf” tendencies, especially as they are knee-deep in creation mode. Don’t fight your nature.

That being said, you never have to be alone if you don’t want to be.

It can feel damn good when you make visceral progress, especially when it comes on the heels of the blood, sweat, and tears that you’ve earned in the arena.

The trial-by-fire gauntlet of entrepreneurship weeds out the dabblers that avoid the hard work of attaining mastery. The phase or “dip” where you get your ass constantly kicked, but refuse to stay on your knees is the price of admission. It builds character, confidence and mystique.

Everybody loves a great story of a Phoenix rising from the ashes of his own failures.

Just remember, those who are at the top of their game don’t play alone. Success in today’s digital landscape is more of a team sport than ever before. Whether you have a mastermind, a creative team, a virtual assistant or a partner — the power and effectiveness of a digital team is REAL.

If you’re stuck, struggling and feeling alone, asking for help is a sign of courage.

Cultivate the power of the wolf pack.

If you’re a lone wolf (introvert) by nature, you can build your creative practice around that. Spend most of your time creating in solitude, but don’t forget: the power of community and shared resources will be instrumental in your development and ability to overcome unavoidable adversity.

Something as simple as a weekly call, set in stone, can do wonders for the emotional roller coaster that comes with the entrepreneurial path.

Your Sandbox. Your Rules.

More and more people are breaking out and building their own sandboxes where they call the shots. They’re tired of building someone else’s dream and living a prescribed life they didn’t actively choose. More importantly, they are looking for people just like YOU, to build and grow their fledgling sandboxes with.

Hell, you don’t even have to be motivated by altruism. Build your wolf pack because you’d be foolish not to leverage the biggest advantage any of us can grab — a bold and resilient family of creators that are invested in your progress.

Nature dictates two things:

Wolves run in packs. And they dominate together.

Are you a lone wolf going your own way? Tell me why you’ve gone that route, and if it’s working.

If you’ve already built your own Digital Wolf Pack, how do you make the most of it?