Have you ever wondered how to create a personal support system similar to a company CEO’s board of directors? Within that system, you can ask questions when you need them, share your challenges, gain their wisdom, seek support, and much more.
Well, I am here to tell you it’s possible!
Often, we go in life without a direction or support system, thinking that we can do it independently. Yes, you can do it on your own, but it may take you longer, and you will end up making unnecessary mistakes along the way.
In the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership book, one of the commitments is Experiencing the World as an Ally, committing to seeing all people and circumstances as allies, which means looking for people in your life that support your growth.
Being the CEO of your life involves taking complete control and being responsible for your life. You will need to be mindful about making decisions, skill-development and having the right mindset and people to support your life journey.
First: What does having a support system mean?
It means having a group of individuals you connect and establish a relationship with throughout your life to navigate your career and life in general.
As I said, this is similar to how companies have a board of directors, except that this support system will be for you to get support and advice on advancing your career, making decisions uncover blind spots, and overcoming challenges.
It consists of individuals who have a strong personal and professional interest in seeing you grow and succeed.
These individuals don’t necessarily know they are on your support system, and you won’t necessarily call all of them every time you need advice.
However, from time to time, one of them will be with you throughout your life journey to give you the support required.
The relationship with these individuals will be like any normal relationship you build with a person. Still, you will build this relationship to have different aspects of support for your life.
Please hear me here. You need to establish genuine, honest relationships. It is not transactional. That is why there should be a give and take in the relationship with you placing more effort because you are the one who wants to establish that relationship.
I will be discussing later the nature of the relationship with further detail in part 2.
Second: What are the criteria you should look for in the individuals within your support system?
Several criteria to consider here. However, please remember that they may not have all of the qualities I will be mentioning.
You may also have other attributes that you may consider for you, and it is OK. In the end, you will be deciding which relationship is best for you.
With that, let’s jump into the ten attributes of the individuals within your support system:
First: They inspire you to work and succeed by their integrity, energy, and passion. You get inspired seeing them in action, doing what they know best, and having an impact where they are.
Second: They are mature, successful in their life, have wisdom, and they could be a role model for you. You can sense that by your conversation with them and reflect on their knowledge and life experiences.
Third: You feel comfortable sharing with them your challenges without being judged or ridiculed. They accept you, and you can sense that they make time for you when you ask them.
Fourth: You can establish a relationship with them. It’s not transactional, as they are independent than you. They have their own life, and usually, they don’t ask for favors.
Fifth: They are open and honest and tell the truth as it is.
They are not yes people who agree with you on everything. If there is something that doesn’t work for them, they will raise it to you. And they are also humble, not seeing themselves above others.
Sixth: They Challenge you to get out of your Comfort zone and look for more in life. And this happens when you see them in action, mastering what they do.
Seventh: They may be different than you in culture, age, interest… etc., and they offer different perspectives. This is good because you will be offered new ways of seeing things.
Eighth: They make you feel good about yourself and encourage you when you feel down by seeing the good in you. When you engage with them, you can be refueled again and get inspired by the end of the conversation.
Ninth: They evoke awareness and clarity in you by their wisdom, offering you other ways to see a situation and open your mind to new opportunities.
Tenth: They can relate and empathize with you and what you are going through by their kindness and understanding. You will always notice the human side of their consideration for others and them fostering positive relationships.
We reached the end of part 1 of how to create a support system in your life. In Part 2, we will discuss the type of individuals within your support system and the nature of the relationship.
I hope this article explained how important it is to create a support system in your life. I will be releasing Part 2 soon, so tune in! Thank you for reading!