Somewhere on your road to success, you'll begin to understand that you are really never, nor should you ever be alone. Look for sources of strength and help everywhere you go-just make sure you use them. You may have to look to find them and then know how to use them, but it beats the world out of not having them at all!



A mentor is incredibly important as you walk along your path. You may reap the benefits of success in your world, but you don't get there alone. The fallacy of the "self-made man" is just that-because everyone is influenced directly and indirectly by scores of people. Let's look at a list of those involved:

-Business Associates: learning from others who are walking the same path as you can be priceless and should not be taken lightly. Shorten your learning curve by learning from the trials and successes of others. The more people you plug into the more you will reap in rewards. Forums are a great resource for meeting and getting to know associates.

-Mentors: the most successful entrepreneurs who experience success find mentors that will walk with them as they traverse their road. Mentors can point out pitfalls and potholes in the road that we might otherwise miss, and their experience and willingness to teach us is an invaluable gift.

-Friends: the most successful entrepreneurs tend to have a wide range of friends from different walks of life. They encourage us, lift us up, and are part of an inextricable support system in our lives. But be careful as sometimes friends don't understand the journey you have chosen, the most successful people will surround themselves with friends who understand and support their efforts.

-Family: if they are there in your day-to-day activities, they have the greatest influence on your life. Feelings of love and security are established early-as early as birth. Entrepreneurs who have family to love, care for, and protect gain enormously both psychologically and physiologically.

-Teachers: at some point in your life there was probably a teacher who made an impression on you that you remember to this day. For most of us there are teachers in our lives who had the power to mold us and shape us. Sometimes we choose paths that are due to the positive influence they've left in our lives.

-Spiritual Leaders: ministers, priests, rabbis, pastors, etc., are in an amazing position to contribute positively and significantly in your life. Their ability to see past the circumstances and share life and light is unparalleled. Having a spiritual leader doesn't guarantee that you'll never feel despair, but it does guarantee that you won't have to go through the dark times alone.

Just as you have a team as you work towards success, you can be a part of someone else's team as well. Be a friend to someone who is just starting out on the road to success-encourage them, mentor them (if appropriate), and commit to be there for them when they need you. Do the right thing (remember your integrity), and have compassion in all situations. You'll build your team and your success as you do these things!