Success Buddies
Thinking back on my early years of my web design career, I had a good friend and coworker John that I used to bounce ideas off of. We would spend hours talking about marketing, common sense approaches to problems, and books that we were reading. In fact, he was the first to introduce me to Seth Godin’s books, which have been a great influence on my life since then.
In an interview by The Verge, David Lanham, an illustrator at The Iconfactory, has the following to say about his friends in the community,
“They provide support, inspiration and keep me in check when I’ve missed the mark or need some suggestions. I make a ton of revisions when I’m working on things — sometimes just bad decisions, sometimes over-thinking a problem too much. It’s so fantastic to have a good group of friends to bounce ideas off of to really get to the core of a problem.“
This topic is discussed in, The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, as he mentions:
“There are few things as powerful as two people locked arm and arm marching towards the same goal. To up your chances of success, get a success buddy, someone who’ll keep you accountable as you submit your new habit while you return the favor. I, for example, have what I call a “Peak-Performance Partner.” Every Friday at 11 a.m. sharp, we have a thirty-minute call during which we trade wins, losses, fixes, ah-has, and solicit the needed feedback and hold each other accountable. You might seek out a success buddy for regular walks, runs, or dates at the gym, or to meet to discuss and trade personal-development books.”
Currently, my good friend Erin ( @endesign ) and I meet up over food, bounce ideas, talk about personal-development books, and discuss what we’ve learned recently. Inspiration is always created during these conversations.
Find someone you can bounce ideas off of. Challenge each other. Push yourselves and keep each other accountable. Find your tribe.