Why You Should Care About What Anyone Can Do!

The Power of Peers (2016) offered a look into how and why formal peer groups for CEOs, business owners, and business leaders work so well.  What Anyone Can Do (inspired by my guests on the Year of the Peer podcast as you stated) extends the conversation in two important ways: 1) It looks at the complete circle of people who surround us (not just our peers), and; 2) talks about ways to engage these people in our everyday lives – not just as part of a formal peer group experience.

According to a 2016 University of Scranton study, 92% of people who declare a new year’s resolution fail at it.  Left to our own devices, we get off to an enthusiastic start, yet too often fail to achieve what we state we want for ourselves.  What we know from studying formal peer groups is that when we surround ourselves with people you will encourage us, provide their expertise and advice, and help us hold ourselves accountable, we can achieve heights we never imagined possible.  By understanding why and how the people who surround us matter, we can do better!

Combining two ideas:  1) Surrounding ourselves with the right people will enhance our chances for success – this we know.  2) As author Joe Henderson pointed out in his 1976 book The Long Run Solution, most highly successful people are not superhuman.  They are people like you and me who simply do the little everyday things that anyone can do, that most of us just never will.  That’s why they succeed.  By surrounding yourself with the right people (which is something I believe anyone can do) they will help you do the little everyday things that anyone can do – far more often.

Why does this matter?  Because achieving personal goals and being in a position to contribute positively to the lives of others (at home and at work) requires us to be our at our personal best.  The airline safety instructions pertaining to the proper way to use your oxygen mask in the event the plane loses cabin pressure serves as the perfect metaphor – apply the mask on yourself first before attempting to help others.  Being at your best FIRST, is better for you and everyone around you.

Ready to double-down on you?  That’s something only you can do.