Surround Yourself With People Who Will Celebrate You!
No matter what.
As a founder, CEO, entrepreneur and/or leader in some aspect of your community or life it’s important to have a fan club: men and women who will cheer on your mission and successes along the way, no matter what.
We all have a variety of friends that we lean on for different needs in our lives. There are those friends in your life who are a great workout buddy, or social butterfly, or adventure partner, or passionate foodie, or probing philosopher, or professional powerhouse, or stable thoughtful ally. Remember: “proximity is power” and it is imperative to surround yourself with people that will celebrate you regardless of what is going on in their world, especially when you are pushing a boulder uphill in the professional sphere of life (see The Struggle by Ben Horowitz).
It is no small feat to find these unwavering supportive folks. They are a rare and beautiful breed in the friendship realm. Life is sometimes tough and it’s not easy to celebrate those on a high around you, particularly when your life is perhaps less than high (sidebar: Happiness = reality — expectations; trade your expectations for appreciation and your life will change).
The importance of this is magnified in times of stress as we see some people finding opportunities amongst the chaos by staying calm and energized. These solution-oriented friends spread positivity and certainty to those around them, while others are focused on the problem, choosing to live in an ‘emotional home’ of anxiety or fear of the unknown while emitting angst and frustration.
We don’t experience life, we experience our interpretation of life (often with generalizations, deletions and distortions). So, how do you reconcile your own struggle state or messy middle with the often seemingly inopportune timing of someone else’s grand wins or successes? You put your sh*t aside and celebrate the heck out of someone or something that deserves it. A little celebration and encouragement goes a long way, even just a ‘you’re doing great’, ‘you rock’ or ‘you can do it’ is a game-changer for those fighting the good fight! Similarly, gratitude is the greatest antidote to fear or other unresourceful emotions, so choose to elevate your state and others by sending love and cheers, especially when you feel less than optimal yourself. You can always go back to wallowing if you’d like later, but for now serve your friends and community with a smile and celebratory ‘wahoo’! It goes a long way.
I’d also be remiss not to mention that it’s not always easy to surround yourself with these celebratory people, because often those that lift you higher will also challenge you in deep and meaningful ways. Being challenged constantly isn’t easy to receive but it is crucial to growth. Like working out hard, your muscles will be sore if you push yourself. “If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.” If life is ultimately about how we grow and what we give, then these celebratory and challenging folks are even more imperative to have around.
If you want to attract cheerleaders, you have to be one yourself for those in your life and you have to know what celebration looks like for those you love (assessments are helpful in pinpointing this, check out love languages, enneagram or DISC for more on how you and those you love receive love and celebration best). To garner the support you deserve, you too have to honor other’s efforts. Even if jealousy or thoughts of ‘why them and not me’ arises, acknowledge those thoughts and say to your mind ‘thank you, not right now’. Once acknowledged, those negative thoughts or emotions lose power, and ultimately evaporate once you celebrate your friend. Celebration is more powerful than envy.
I have a remarkable friend, Jamie, who is one of my biggest cheerleaders and is the same for all those lucky enough to have her in their life. No matter how low or high things are in her world, if there is something to celebrate on my side, she is shouting from the rooftops. She thrives in the energy of others’ wins and is always there to support. She is exceptional in this way and I do not take her for granted. Pay attention to these unicorns in your life and honor them every chance you get.
Throughout my life, I have had friends come and go. We either grew apart, lost touch, misunderstood one another or simply evolved in new and different directions. All are 100% okay and inevitable, but do not under any circumstances surround yourself with people that require you to dim your light for the sake of their own insecurities or emotional triggers. Find those that want you to shine brighter, inspiring them to do the same and are never intimidated by your bright light. One of my coaches recently shared a powerful quote with me, “Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining”.
So, shine on bright and beautiful and honor those around you that celebrate your brilliance no matter what is showing up for them in their world at the time. The world needs bright lights leading the way, now more than ever.
Prime Movers Lab invests in breakthrough scientific startups founded by Prime Movers, the inventors who transform billions of lives. We invest in seed-stage companies reinventing energy, transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, human augmentation and computing
